Q: Why is a computer mouse called a ‘mouse’?

A: On December 9, 1968, Douglas Engelbart of the Stanford Research Institute unveiled the computer mouse, though no one called it so then. It was known as ‘X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System’. Once Engelbart could point with his ‘Position Indicator’, he was able to develop on-screen windows with menus and hypertext system. The ‘Position Indicator’ was made of wood, had two wheels on the bottom and a single red button on top. Englebart’s team thought the device looked like mouse, and the name stuck.