The History of the pencil is quite interesting. According to Pencils.com, it all started in England in 1564. Graphite was wrapped in string and that was the first Graphite pencil. We all know pencils started being made with lead and that caused many people to get poisoned and die. Interestingly enough, in some countries they continued to use lead up until the 20th century. “But, you certainly wouldn't want to suck on a "lead" pencil if it really had lead in it. In fact, lead pencils became extinct only in the early 20th century.” (Kruszelnicki, 2004) The history of the pencil stems from there. Later, the graphite was inserted into hollowed-out wooden sticks without paint and that was where pencils began. Pencils were first mass produced in Nuremberg, Germany in 1662. During the war, settlers from England relied on the pencil, until England cut them off. In the United States, Concord, Massachusetts, a man named William Monroe was credited for making the first wood pencil in America in 1812. The first pencil factory in the United States which is still around today is the Joseph Dixon Crucible Company, now known as Dixon Ticonderoga.
As we entered the 19th century many other pencil companies came about and it's all been history since then. The top state contributors being New York and New Jersey, with several companies and factories like Faber-Castell, Eberhard Faber, Eagle Pencil Company (later Berol) and General Pencil Company. The first pencil’s that were mass produced didn't look like the yellow pencil we know today. They were actually just wood casings. “Yet the pencil need be no cliché” (Petroski, n.d.) In the 1890’s that is when factories and producers started to add color coatings to the pencil and that is the yellow pencil we know today. “While a lump of lead or charcoal could certainly be serviceable as a primitive pencil, it could also be easily criticized.” (Petroski, n.d.) This quote shows how pencils improved upon a flaw that writing tools at the time failed to meet.
The Pencil has impacted society greatly, and positively. It has provided people with a way to write, communicate, and a way to express themselves. The pencil is not only just for writing, it is one of the most used instruments in art and design. Using the pencil with art and design, an artist can draw, sketch, trace, shade, etc. The pencil has also impacted our youth by it being one of the first writing tools introduced in adolescence. In my opinion the history of the pencil is not only interesting but is an extremely important addition to the writing tools we have today. It is not only an essential writing tool but one of the first tools that were introduced to humanity. The pencil allows an individual to make mistakes and be able to fix it, that is why it is one of the most marketed and popular writing tools on the market for multiple centuries. All in All, the pencil is an essential writing tool and should be recognized for its success.
References
Funk, T. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved March 27, 2024, from https://flowvella.com/s/16lh/8A55A061-BF62-4D9B-B9F4-0F9DA5FD3DD0
The History of the Pencil – Pencils.com. (n.d.). Pencils.com. Retrieved March 26, 2024, from https://pencils.com/pages/the-history-of-the-pencil
Kruszelnicki, K. S. (2004, September 9). Lead in Your Pencil › News in Science. ABC. Retrieved March 27, 2024, from https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2004/09/09/1195234.htm
Petroski, H. (n.d.). The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance. Wikipedia. Retrieved March 26, 2024, from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=GZ1CuD619GwC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=pencil+and+history&ots=_nAABeObmt&sig=GOfQYcL-w-AaB5sML3CCcCFyfQM#v=onepage&q=pencil%20and%20history&f=false
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