Birth of an Urban Myth

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I don't know how urban myths made it before the Internet. I can't think of anything that has flourished more from it. There's a story being widely reported that the last typewriter factory on earth has closed.

Here's the poop on this one: The story originates from India's Business Standard newspaper reporting that the factory, Godrej & Boyce, located in Mumbai, India, was the last typewriter manufactorer in the world and it is stopping production.

The story has been picked up by a wide array of other newspapers and news sites, some very familiar and respectable.

Here's one particularly poignant (dare I say, gassy?) eulogy from the highly regarded Atlantic Monthly:

There's something about the large, clunky, medieval device that appeals to the aspiring writers among us; they make you feel more connected to your work. When a story is done and has been pulled off the roller, you can still feel it in your fingers.

There's only one problem. Godrej & Boyce isn't the last typewriter factory in the world. Typewriters are still being made in China and Japan. Props to Gawker for dispelling this myth in the making.

That being said, I doubt the myth will get dispelled. It's far more fun to report that the last typewriter has rolled off the assembly line. Nevermind the fact that the real story is that they've held out this long in the first place.

I'm curious to see how long it takes for this one to hit Snopes.

Renee Oricchio is a technology writer and former supervising news producer for CNN Financial News. She has been covering the computer industry since 1987. @oricchio