👤 whose
Whose Invention Was the Modern Pencil?
inventionshistoryeveryday objects
Quick Answer
The modern pencil lead was invented by French scientist Nicolas-Jacques Conté in 1795, who mixed graphite with clay and fired it.
The Full Story
A large, unusually pure deposit of graphite was found in Borrowdale in England's Lake District around the 1560s, and people began using it for writing. During the French Revolutionary Wars, France was cut off from English graphite supplies. Nicolas-Jacques Conté solved the problem in 1795 by mixing powdered graphite with clay and firing the mixture in a kiln. Changing the proportion of clay let makers control the hardness and darkness of the lead. This method is still the basis of pencil manufacturing today.
Key Facts
1.Pencil 'lead' has never contained lead; it is graphite.
2.Pencils are often hexagonal to stop them rolling off desks.
3.Hymen Lipman received a US patent for a pencil with an attached eraser in 1858.
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"Why your pencil has no lead in it at all."