The History of Lorem Ipsum: From Cicero to Modern Design

The surprising 500-year history of the world's most famous placeholder text.

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The History of Lorem Ipsum

Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text since the 1500s.

Ancient Origins

Lorem Ipsum is derived from "De finibus bonorum et malorum" (On the Ends of Good and Evil) by Cicero, written in 45 BC.

The Original Text

"Neque porro quisquam est qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet..."

Translation: "There is no one who loves pain itself, who seeks
after it and wants to have it, simply because it is pain..."

Key Milestones

YearEvent
1500sUnknown printer scrambles Cicero's text
1960sLetraset sheets popularize Lorem Ipsum
1985Aldus PageMaker includes Lorem Ipsum
TodayBuilt into most design tools

The Standard Passage

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do 
eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.