Logitech on Wednesday announced that is has shipped its one billionth mouse for personal computers, with the news coming, appropriately, one week ahead of the fortieth anniversary of the very first public demonstration of a computer mouse by Doug Engelbart. Logitech manufactured its first mouse prototype, the P4, back in 1982, and sold the first mouse in 1985. Back then, a mouse was mainly an interface device for CAD applications. The company believes its MX Air mouse and hybrid diNovo Mini keyboard are hints as to the type of products customers can expect from the company in the future.

Within the last five years, Logitech introduced the first laser mouse, a hyper-fast scroll wheel and the nano receiver. The company builds an average of 376,000 mice daily and sells them in over 100 countries.

To celebrate the milestone, Logitech is launching a worldwide contest that will have people follow the billionth mouse, affectionately named Billie, from its birthplace on a production line in China to its final destination contestants will have to figure out. More details are available on Logitech's blog.