The computer mouse was invented by Dr. Douglas C. Engelbart of Stanford Research Institute in 1963.

The original Engelbart mouse was constructed of wood with metal wheels and one button, and was called the bug, but eventually this was dropped in favor of mouse, because the cord on early models resembled the rodent's tail, and also because the motion of the pointer on the screen was mouse-like.

In the patent application filed in 1967, the device was referred to as “X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System”.

However, mice broke onto the public stage only in 1984, with the introduction of the Apple Macintosh.

Typical PC mouse controlling system works as follows: sensors -> mouse controller -> communication link -> data interface -> driver -> software.

Mouse speed is expressed in DPI (pots per inch), which is the number of pixels the mouse cursor will move when the mouse is moved one inch.

The device is also called “mouse” in German, Italian, French, Spanish, Russian and other languages.

Apple mice photos

How computer mice work