they replaced lead with graphite in pencils in 1969.
when did they replace lead with graphite in pencils?
1969
as a technique for drawing, the closest predecessor to the pencil was silverpoint until in 1565 (some sources say as early as 1500), a large deposit of graphite was discovered on the approach to grey knotts from the hamlet of seathwaite in borrowdale parish, cumbria, england. this particular deposit of graphite was extremely pure and solid, and it could easily be sawn into sticks. it remains the only large-scale deposit of graphite ever found in this solid form. chemistry was in its infancy and the substance was thought to be a form of lead. consequently, it was called "plumbago" (latin for "lead ore"). because the pencil core is still referred to as "lead", or a "lead", many people have the misconception that the graphite in the pencil is lead, and the black core of pencils is still referred to as "lead", even though it never contained the element lead. the words for pencil in german ("bleistift"), irish ("peann luaidhe"), arabic (قلم رصاص "qalam raṣāṣ"), and some other languages literally mean "lead pen".
pencil
the usefulness of graphite for pencils was discovered as well, but graphite for pencils had to be smuggled. the news of the usefulness of these early pencils spread far and wide, attracting the attention of artists all over the known world. because graphite is soft, it requires some form of encasement. graphite sticks were initially wrapped in string or sheepskin for stability. england would enjoy a monopoly on the production of pencils until a method of reconstituting the graphite powder was found in 1662 in italy. however, the distinctively square english pencils continued to be made with sticks cut from natural graphite into the 1860s. the town of keswick, near the original findings of block graphite, still manufactures pencils, the factory also being the location of the cumberland pencil museum. the meaning of "graphite writing implement" apparently evolved late in the 16th century.
pencil