When we say pencil lead, we mean graphite, because that’s what a pencil has inside. In this video, we find out where graphite comes from and how it gets into the middle of a pencil.
All interesting stuff, but now I want to know about the part they left out. Whose idea was it to encase graphite in wood to make a pencil? -via The Kid Should See This
For the missing history of pencil development, Martin Veneroso suggested Brain Pickings and romojoke suggested Wikipedia, both of which are quite interesting.
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Thanks, fixed.
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That should read "Whose idea was it...", not "who's idea". You're welcome.
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Success has a thousand fathers. Failure dies an orphan.
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Fascinating. Thanks, both of you!
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Although Wikipedia says "Around 1560, an Italian couple named Simonio and Lyndiana Bernacotti made what are likely the first blueprints for the modern, wood-encased carpentry pencil."
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