23. Uppercase and Lowercase Letters Got Their Names from Old Printing Presses
“Uppercase” and “lowercase” aren’t random terms — they literally refer to the physical drawers (cases) in traditional printing presses. Capital letters were stored in the upper case, while small letters were kept in the lower case for easier access by typesetters. The terms stuck even after machines replaced hand-setting type.
You’ve typed or written these words your entire adult life and never connected them to dusty 15th-century workshops. Over-35s who remember old-school printing or typing classes suddenly see every keyboard and book differently. It’s a tiny piece of industrial history hiding in plain text.
