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Message: <blockquote data-quote="moreluck" data-source="post: 334479" data-attributes="member: 1246">PENCIL TRIVIA.......A pencil can write in zero gravity, upside down, and under water.The average lead pencil can draw a line approximately 35 miles long.A pencil can write between 45,000 and 50,000 English words.More than two billion pencils are sold in the U.S. every year, and most have erasers. However, most pencils sold in Europe do not come with erasers.In ancient Rome, scribes wrote on papyrus with a lead stylus which left a faint marking on the paper. From this was born the pencil. Most people still call the inside of a pencil the lead, but in nearly all cases now graphite is used instead.The first mass-produced pencils came from Germany in 1662. William Monroe, a Massachusetts cabinetmaker, created the first pencils made in the United States in 1812.Originally, pencils were unpainted to showcase their wooden construction. However, in the 1890s most of the graphite used in pencils was imported from China. There, the color yellow signified royalty and respect. So American pencil makers began painting their pencils yellow to communicate the idea of the quality graphite enclosed. Today, approximately 75% of all pencils sold are still colored yellow.The tiny piece of metal that holds the eraser to the pencil is called a ferrule. </blockquote>