Who invented the pencil?

Answer 1

Writing instruments similar to the pencil have been around for centuries prior, but the modern pencil as we know it today was invented by the French scientist Nicolas-Jacques Conte in the late 18th century. Prior to Conte's innovation, writing utensils had mostly been made from sticks of lead, which were cumbersome and easily broke. Conte mixed powdered graphite with clay to create a durable, smooth writing tool that revolutionized the way people wrote and drew. His invention quickly gained popularity and became an essential tool for students, artists, writers, and professionals around the world.

Answer 2

There is a Latin word, penicillus, which means "little tail." This word was used to indicate a fine brush, and the word "pencil" originally meant a small, fine pointed brush.

Today, of course, a pencil means something altogether different. Pencils as we know them are less than 200 years old. About 500 years ago, graphite was discovered in a mine in Cumberland, England, and it is believed that some sort of crude pencils may have been made then.

In Nuremberg, Germany, the famous Faber family established its business in 1760 and used pulverized graphite to make a kind of pencil, but they were not very successful. Finally in 1795, a man called N. J. Conte produced pencils made of graphite which had been ground with certain clays, pressed into sticks, and fired in a kiln. This method is the basis for the manufacture of all modern pencils.

As you might have guessed by now, a "lead" pencil doesn't contain lead but a mineral substance called graphite. Graphite, like lead, leaves a mark when drawn across paper. Because of this it is called "black lead,” and that's where we get the name "lead pencil."

In manufacturing pencils, dried ground graphite is mixed with clay and water. The more clay, the harder the pencil will be, the more graphite, the softer the pencil. After the mixture reaches a doughy consistency, it passes thru a forming press and comes out as a thin, sleek rope. This is straightened out, cut into lengths, dried, and put into huge ovens to bake.

Meanwhile, the pencil case has been prepared. The wood, either red cedar or pine, is shaped in halves and grooved to hold the lead. After the finished leads are inserted in the grooves, the halves of the pencil are glued together. A saw cuts the slats into individual pencils, and a shaping machine gives the surface a smooth finish.

Today, more than 350 different kinds of pencils are made, each for a special use. You can buy black lead pencils in 19 degrees of hardness and intensity, or get them in 72 different colors! There are pencils that write on glass, cloth, cellophane, plastics, and movie film. There are even pencils, used by engineers and in outdoor construction work, that leave a mark that won't fade after years of exposure to any weather!