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753 BCE
Before the Modern Pencil
Pencil forms went way back into Roman times. The Romans use a writing instrument called the stylus. They used a thin metal rod to write and thats what the modern pencil is based off of. Other stylus' were made out of lead but the pencil we use in our modern pencils are made out of non-toxic graphite. So you won't have to worry about dying from lead posioning. -
1564
Discovery
When they found a huge graphite mine in Cumbria, England they sawn the graphite into sheets and they then cut them into square rods. They put the graphite into wood holders forming it into a pencil. They called them lead pencils because this was the first time they discovered graphite so they called graphite, lead. -
Carbon Discovery
People discovered that the "lead" used in pencils was a form of carbon. Later on in the years people called it graphite instead of lead. (Gale In Context: Science) -
Period: to
The Journey of the Mechanical Pencil
When the HMS Pandora ship sank and was found in 1977 they found a mechanical pencil! In 1822 the first mechanical pencil that could propel the lead and could be restored was made by Sampson Mordan. Later on in the years people made some improvements but in 1915 Tokuji Hayakawa made a more improved mechanical pencil. People used very thin leads in 1939, the first lead that they used had a diameter of 0.9. People made more better mechanical pencils in the years and made different lead sizes. -
Powder Graphite
Nicholas Jacques Conte made a pencil using powder graphite and clay. He proved it was just like pure graphite. Conte also discovered that a harder or softer core could be formed by changing the proportions of the clay and graphite. (World Book Online) -
Pencil Making Machine
In the mid 1800s William Monroe invented a machine that could make enough pencils. Around that same time, Joseph Dixon invented another machine to make the slats smooth after they were cut. -
Ticonderoga Pencils
When the Dixon Ticonderoga Company got a patent he produced Ticonderoga pencils. Some manufacturers called these pencils "Best of its kind." The Ticonderoga is a popular brand that people still use to this day. Many people around the world use this in school or at work. (Ticonderoga360.com) -
An Eraser on a Pencil
On March 30, 1858 Hymen Lipman got a patent for "attaching an eraser to the end of the pencil." (pabook.libraries) He got a patent only because the eraser and the pencil were already invented so it wasn't as much as a new invention. -
Death
In the past people have died from a pencil. Wonder how? Well this was because they got lead poisoning. It wasn't because of the materials used to make a pencil but the lead in the paint. Many people used paint back then and they had lead in it so it wasn't just from pencils. Later on in the years lead in paint was removed and banned. So if you find a old pencil in an attic make sure not to touch it! -
A Pencil for Eletronics
The first digitial stylus was released by Apple Inc.
