| For hundreds of years now, the people of the planet | | | | In the eighteenth century, The Faber family from |
| have consistently relied on pencils to make their lives | | | | Germany was already producing crude graphite sticks |
| easier. We use graphite pencils to write down our | | | | for writing purposes. |
| thoughts, record our business dealings, create artistic | | | | They took what Conte taught the world and |
| works and generally accommodate our needs for | | | | expanded on it. They refined his processes. |
| expression. The road to developing the modern | | | | Eberhard Faber opened the first US pencil factory in |
| mechanical pencils that we are all so fond of has | | | | New York City in 1861. |
| been long and arduous. Here are some fun facts that | | | | Because of this, Faber-Castell will always be |
| will help you to see the big pencil picture! | | | | renowned for the development of the modern pencil. |
| Pencils, or at least pencil-like instruments, go back | | | | But, what about mechanical pencils, you ask? |
| thousands of years! | | | | In 1913, Charles R. Keeran introduced the world's first |
| It was the Romans who coined the phrase pencil. | | | | mass-produced mechanical pencil: the Eversharp Pencil. |
| They actually called a tiny brush that they called a | | | | Hayakawa Tokuji, a Japanese pencil maker, actually |
| "pencillus". | | | | made the mechanical pencil before Keeran. |
| The proper history of the wooden stylus pencils | | | | Keeran gets the credit though because his mechanical |
| were used to create the cuneiform codes from | | | | pencil went to market first. |
| ancient Iraq. | | | | Tokuji's Ever Ready Sharp pencil didn't make the US |
| Nicholas Jacques Conte, one of Napoleon's officers, in | | | | market until 1915. |
| 1795, was the first to grind graphite with clay and | | | | It was Goodyear's vulcanization process on rubber |
| press the mixture into sticks of wood. He then baked | | | | that led to the creation of pencil erasers! |
| them in a kiln. | | | | Well, there you have - the history of pencils and |
| Conte's method of "lead" making allowed for the | | | | mechanical pencils in a nutshell. As with most things in |
| graphite mixture to made to any hardness or | | | | life, the history of pencils goes way, way back. The |
| softness desired. | | | | next time you are writing with your easy-to-use, |
| Are you feeling pencil-smart yet? Let's continue! | | | | ergonomically-efficient mechanical pencil, just |
| Because of Conte's pencil lead recipe, today there | | | | remember all of the work and thought that was |
| are leads that can write on movie film, cloth, | | | | needed to create it! Enjoy your penciling! |
| cellophane, plastics and more! | | | | |