The journey of writing instruments from lead styluses to graphite pencils 

In the early years of school, you were probably allowed to use only pencils to write. Pens were strictly forbidden. Ever wondered why? Because pencils allow us to erase a mistake. All you need is an eraser to get a clean sheet again and start afresh. So, a pencil is indeed an important invention of all times. Let us find out when this crucial writing tool came into being.  

The pre-pencil era 
Before pencils came into being, people used styluses as their preferred writing instruments. These have been around since the time of ancient Romans. Some of these styluses were made of thin pieces of metal that left light marks on papyrus, a paper-like material. However, others that were used till the 16th century were made of lead.  

Discovery of graphite 
The invention of more modern pencils, made of graphite, can be credited to a bit of luck and some creativity. In 1564, a tree fell in England, thereby unearthing a large deposit of graphite that was considered to be an incredibly valuable mineral. But this particular reserve of graphite was very pure and solid. It could easily be sawn into sticks. In fact, it remains the only large-scale reserve of graphite ever found in this solid form.  

But what was the difference between lead and graphite? Well, compared to lead, graphite marks on paper were much darker seeming like almost metallic marks. However, despite being made of carbon, people believed that it was made of lead.  Therefore, they called it ‘plumbago’ or black lead. It was only in 1789 that it was called graphite, derived from the Greek word ‘graphein’ which means ‘to write’. Well, what is the origin of the word pencil? It has been derived from the Latin word ‘pencillus’, meaning ‘little tail’. It describes the small ink brushes used for writing in the Middle Ages. 

Introduction of graphite pencils  
The discovery of graphite set the foundation of more modern-day pencils. In 1565, Conrad Gessner, a Swiss naturalist, created the first depiction of a pencil which portrayed graphite inside the wood. The drawing of pencil became popular throughout Europe and people started experimenting various designs in England. However, it wasn’t until the 1700s that graphite pencils started taking shape as we know them. The first pencil factory was opened by Faber Castell in 1761 in Bavaria, Germany, selling graphite pencils. Faber-Castell is in fact the world's oldest pencil manufacturer.   

Invention of modern pencils  
In 1795, modern pencil, as we know today, was invented. Back then, France was at war with Britain. Therefore, it could no longer trade with England, from where it used to import graphite pencils. So, it started looking for its own source of graphite and pencils. Since the English graphite wasn’t available, Nicolas-Jacques Conté, an officer serving in the army of French military leader, Napoleon Bonaparte, mixed some cheap quality powdered graphite with wet clay, forming the mixture into rods that were then fired in a kiln. This method of pencil manufacture, had been earlier discovered by Joseph Hardtmuth, the founder of the Czech writing and art supplies manufacturer Koh-I-Noor Hardtmuth, and remains in use even today.  

Evolution of pencils  
Many improvements have been made to pencil since Conté, including those by Henry David Thoreau, an American naturalist. Thoreau created pencils that didn’t smudge as much. Thereafter, the increasing use of machines and the rise of factories helped in making this writing instrument more popular.