from techcrunch.com: Doug Engelbart, an American inventor best known for creating the
early computer mouse, passed away last night due to kidney failure. He
was 88 years old.



Engelbart pioneered many early Silicon Valley technologies, mostly
surrounding human-computer interaction, including the creation of
hypertext and work on graphical interfaces.


 
In his own words in a 2004 Wired profile, Engelbart describes the early development of the mouse:

I first started making notes for the mouse in ’61. At the
time, the popular device for pointing on the screen was a light pen,
which had come out of the radar program during the war. It was the
standard way to navigate, but I didn’t think it was quite right…We set
up our experiments and the mouse won in every category, even though it
had never been used before. It was faster, and with it people made fewer
mistakes. Five or six of us were involved in these tests, but no one
can remember who started calling it a mouse. I’m surprised the name
stuck.

Engelbart is survived by four children, nine grandchildren, and his
second wife, whom he wed in 2008. Engelbart’s first wife died in 1997
after 47 years of marriage.