Pencils Facts

Here are 25 Sharp Pencil Facts:

1. Pencils don't contain lead — the 'lead' is actually graphite.
2. Graphite was discovered in Borrowdale, England, in the 16th century.
3. Early pencils were made by wrapping graphite in string or sheepskin.
4. A single pencil can write about 45,000 words.
5. The average pencil can draw a line about 55 kilometers long.
6. The pencil sharpener was invented in 1828.
7. Attached erasers were added to pencils around 1858.
8. The yellow pencil became popular as a marketing trick to suggest quality.
9. Pencils are graded with H (hard), B (black), HB, and F (fine point).
10. Graphite is a form of carbon.
11. During World War II, pilots were given special pencils with hidden maps inside.
12. The word 'pencil' comes from the Latin 'penicillus,' meaning 'little tail.'
13. Triangular pencils were designed so they wouldn't roll off desks.
14. Some pencils today contain seeds so you can plant them after use.
15. The most expensive pencil in the world costs over $12,000.
16. The mechanical pencil was invented in 1822.
17. Colored pencils use wax or oil instead of graphite.
18. The world's largest pencil is over 19 meters long.
19. More than 2 billion pencils are made every year.
20. Astronauts used pencils in space, but floating graphite dust was a hazard.
21. The first pencils had no erasers at all.
22. The "F" in pencil grading stands for "fine point," between HB and H.
23. Sketching artists often prefer softer B pencils because they draw darker lines.
24. The pencil is so simple that its design has barely changed in centuries.
25. You can even write underwater with a pencil — graphite works when ink doesn't.