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Jan 1, 1500
Graphite found
The first graphite deposits were found in Borrowdale, England. -
Jan 10, 1500
First Pencils are Made
The discovery of a graphite mine in England led to the invention of the pencil. In order to make a pencil, pure graphite from the mine was sliced into thin sheets. Then, the sheets were cut into strips. A strip of graphite was fitted into a wooden holder or wrapped in coils of string. These first pencils had soft lead and made a dark mark. These pencils were mostly used by artists. In the future, pencil makers would learn to mix clay with the graphite to form the hard lead that is used in Number -
Artificial graphte was made by Conté of Paris
By the year 1795 graphite from Borrowdale was no longer unique. This was because of the war in England because people couldn´t go to England to get graphite, to use for pencil making, so Conté in Paris started to produce artificial graphite. -
N.J. Conté and the Faber family
In 1795, N.J. Conté successfully made pencils after the Faber family of Nuremburg, Germany tried and failed to do so. -
pencil making machine inveted
William Monroe of the US invented a machine that is capable of making grooves in wood slats for making pencils. -
Pencil Making Factory is Taken Over
Factory that makes pencils is then taken over by the Greenwood family in order to pay off a debt. -
Name of Factory is Changed
The factory that the Greenwood family took control of in 1912´s name is chaned to the Cumberland Pencil Co.