Actually, typos have always been with us. Thanks to the magic of the
database JSTOR, which publishes complete runs of journals online, I
found and verified the existence of the term "Smithsonian Insitution" in
the April 1895 issue of The American Naturalist. I've made something of
a study of typos, since they occasionally end up in library online
catalogs - the ultimate disgrace.
Terry Ballard, Automation Librarian
Quinnipiac University
Hamden, CT