You would be hard pressed to find a computer keyboard without an escape key in the modern day. After all, it serves many unique and important functions, ranging from exiting our full-screen YouTube videos to cancelling processes and programs. However, this button did not always exist at the top left of our keyboards; it took the ingenuity of a certain computer scientist as well as the standardization of the language with which computers converse in — before it came to be what it is today. 

1. The brain behind the idea

Bob Bemer was an IBM programmer in the 1960s who made significant contributions to the field of computer science, most notably of which is his work on the ASCII character system: the standardized system of letters, numbers and symbols that appear on keyboards around the world today. 

Bob Bemer, computer scientist for IBM

2. The “Tower of Babel problem”

Bob Bemer was trying to solve the problem of multiple computers communicating using many different programming languages. This was the “Tower of Babel problem”. Thus, he came up with the idea of an “Escape” key, which would allow programmers to switch between these languages, making communication between different programming languages a lot easier. 

The “Escape” key is now present on almost all, if not every computer keyboard in the world

3. Making it official

Work on the ASCII system began in 1960, with the standard being published in 1963, along with the introduction of the “Escape” key. 

Rather than naming it a more sensible name like “stop” or “interrupt”, it is speculated that Bob Bemer chose to dub the character “Escape”, which served as a testament to his anxious attitude. 

Its first commercial use was in the Teletype Model 33, an electromechanical teleprinter designed for light-duty office use.

The keyboard of the Teletype Model 33, complete with the newly implemented ASCII characters and Escape key

4. The most “Elite” Escape key

Having the Vintage Cherry Corp. Red Doubleshot “Esc” Key made you the elite of the elite amongst keyboard enthusiasts in the early 2010s. This was due to Cherry Corp. Halting the production of these highly sought-after keycaps after 2009 made them skyrocket in value, to a peak of $250 in 2012. Not only was it produced by one of the oldest keyboard manufacturers, but this keycap was also a doubleshot keycap, making it more durable. Adding on to that its unique aesthetic factors, and it is clear why this keycap became a collector’s item that enthusiasts would kill for at the time. Nowadays, such quality and aesthetic would be easy to find, but the history behind it is something that cannot be replicated. 

The Vintage Cherry Corp. Red Doubleshot “Esc” Key, which sold for $250

Since then, keyboards have evolved to include more and more keys, including function keys, a screenshot button, so on and so forth. But the one thing that has remained constant? The “Escape” key has always been, and will continue to be present on our keyboards, serving its purpose as our computer’s emergency panic button.