Blog Post #4: EOTC Communication Technology Timeline

 An average pencil can write 45,000 words and draw a line that is more than 35 miles long. During the Civil War, pencils were given out as basic equipment. The most expensive pencil in the world was made with wood from an olive tree that was over 240 years old. It had white gold details and sold for almost 13,000 dollars. Each year over 1 billion yellow pencils are produced, and they could stretch around the Earth five times.

 In the late 1700s, the first early version of today’s pencil was created by a scientist in Napoleon's army. The pencil was a mixture of water, clay, and graphite. Over the next 60 years, Americans and people in Germany fought over who would get credit for inventing the pencil. When erasers were first added, they were made out of old bread. As the pencil evolved from Konard Genser’s design of a paintbrush filled with animal hair to Hymen Lipman’s version made out of wood with the added component of the newer eraser, it continued to change until it became what we know and love today. 

  For almost 200 years the ability to write was reserved only for the wealthy who used ink and feathers. With the more affordable pencil, people all over the world were attracted to this evolving invention. In America, pencils were made from cedar wood in Tennessee and California, where large forests helped make the materials more affordable. Soon pencils began filling every home and classroom, but some people did not like the new advancements. For example, teachers previously could see all of the mistakes students had made, but now with the eraser, teachers could only see the final version. Another concern was the dust created by the graphite which NASA solved with their first space pencil. Nothing could stop the use of a pencil. 

 Pencils gave everyone around the world the ability to write. This meant they could make lists, record their ideas, draw, communicate with other people and more. Pencils also impacted the art world because this was the first tool that allowed artists to edit their art work in real time. Imagine waiting for your paint to dry because you had to make a change versus now the ability to erase just because you don't like it. 

 Some people might think pencils are not as common because of the increase in technology; however, they are still being sold worldwide. For example, in elementary schools, students throughout the world only use pencils in classrooms. Standardized testing often requires not only a pencil but a number 2 pencil, which has harder lead and does not smudge, to ensure an accurate response. Ticonderoga is the largest manufacturer of pencils in the world. It makes over 1.5 billion pencils each year, of which two thirds are number two yellow pencils. By 2030, the pencil market is to be projected to be a $30 million industry.  

There are 14 billion sold each year. You find them in every country. You use them from Kindergarten until 5th grade and nothing else. You find them in every house. You use them to express yourself. Imagine a world without pencils.