Typing class was standard education back in the day. Before the world became a mess of screen and touch, a typewriter was the next best thing.
There is nothing like the sound of a typewriter when you hit a creative stride. Plenty of authors still use typewriters, or at the very least products with typewriter-like functions.
When typewriters first came out on the consumer market, no one really knew what to do with it.
Typewriting class bridged the gap for many aspiring learners. And in the 1800s and onward, also ushered in several positions of opportunity for skilled typists.
