Buzz
We often overlook the essential tools that accompany us in our daily lives. From the youngest learners in kindergarten to advanced scholars in grad school, students are no exception. It's likely that many have never considered the history behind the supplies they use throughout their education. As G.K. Chesterton shared in his essay “A Piece of Chalk,” if given enough time, he could write “a book of poems entirely about things in [his] pockets.” The same could be said for the school supplies students bring to class each day, as the following ten intriguing origins will reveal.
10. Pencil
The pencil traces its roots to the ancient Roman writing tool, the stylus. Early versions of the stylus were crafted from lead, but when graphite was discovered in Borrowdale, England, in 1564, it replaced the metal. Graphite made a darker mark on papyrus, but due to its softness, it crumbled easily. To protect it, a holder was devised. The first holders were merely strings wrapped around graphite sticks. Eventually, hollow wooden tubes replaced the strings, marking the birth of the early modern pencil. Mass production of pencils began in 1662 in Nuremberg, Germany.
Though Henry David Thoreau personally crafted his own pencils, the first mass-produced pencil was created by William Monroe in 1812, following the disruption of English imports due to the war with England. By the end of the 19th century, pencils were being mass-produced in the United States. These early pencils were made of red cedar but were not painted until 1890, in order to highlight their high-quality finish. When they were painted, yellow was the color of choice, symbolizing Chinese royalty, since the finest graphite came from China. The yellow pencil became a symbol of the royal quality of the graphite.
9. Eraser
In the United States and Canada, it's known as an eraser, but in the United Kingdom, India, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, this object used to remove pencil or ink marks is referred to as a rubber. Before the invention of erasers in 1770, people often used small slabs of rubber or wax to eliminate pencil mistakes. For ink errors, materials like sandstone or pumice were used. In Japan, writers even relied on soft bread to erase pencil marks.
English engineer Edward Nairne was the first to replace bread crumbs with gum elastic (as rubber was once called) to erase pencil marks. Impressed with its effectiveness, he began selling it for that very purpose. Between 1770 and 1778, the material came to be known as 'rubber,' a name inspired by its primary function of rubbing out marks.
One issue with early erasers was that gum elastic tended to crumble easily, emitted an unpleasant smell, and was vulnerable to weather conditions. The invention of vulcanization by Charles Goodyear solved these issues, making rubber more durable. Erasers were then attached to the ends of pencils after Hymen Lipman patented the idea. The simple eraser later gained a touch of personality with the introduction of novelty versions.
8. Ballpoint Pen
Starting in 1888, American tanner John Loud patented his own version of the ballpoint pen, initially designed for marking hides. This sparked over 350 other inventors to patent various ballpoint pen designs, although none saw mass production. The viscosity, or thickness, of the ink was crucial—too thin, and it leaked; too thick, and it clogged. The ink's viscosity was often subject to temperature changes.
In 1935, frustrated with the performance of fountain pens, newspapermen Ladislas and Greg Biro set out to create a better pen and perfect the ink. After an initial setback, where their design relied on gravity to feed ink to the pen's roller ball, the brothers developed a spongy ball that absorbed ink through capillary action. This made it possible to hold the pen at an angle instead of straight. Although their Biro pen didn’t sell well in Argentina, the brothers eventually sold the design to the Eberhard Faber Company for $500,000 after World War II. However, the company put production on hold, and the patent eventually expired.
Milton Reynolds, a Chicago salesman who had seen the Biro pen, became a millionaire by manufacturing and selling the design in the United States. Soon, competition grew, and wild claims about the ballpoint pen's performance were common. Business flourished—until consumers discovered that the pens still had many issues.
Patrick J. Frawley partnered with unemployed chemist Fran Seech to improve the ballpoint design, introducing the Papermate pen, which featured a retractable tip and “no-smear ink” that could be washed out of fabric. Meanwhile, Marcel Bich, a French penholder manufacturer, scrutinized all available ballpoint pens, even under a microscope, and introduced the reliable Ballpoint Bic. Both Papermate and Bic ballpoints became standard school supplies for students.
7. Highlighter
Before the 1960s, students used to underline and make marginal notes in their textbooks to highlight important information. This changed when Japanese inventor Yukio Horie created a felt-tip pen with water-based ink. In 1963, Carter's Ink launched the Hi-Liter, a marker based on Horie's pen. Both tools use capillary action to draw ink into their tips. Fluorescent colors were introduced in 1978, and since then, polyethylene beads molded into porous heads have replaced the felt tips. Today, retractable and scented versions are also available.
Highlighters have sometimes faced issues when used on thin pages, like in Bibles, where ink would seep through the paper. G.T. Luscombe, a distributor of Bible-study materials, solved this problem by introducing highlighters that used special pigments from Japan, designed not to bleed through Bible pages. According to G.T.'s son, John Luscombe, the colors of the Bible markers have specific meanings: yellow represents blessings, blue stands for the Holy Spirit, pink for salvation, and green symbolizes growth and rebirth.
6. Protractor
The protractor has been in use for over 500 years to measure angles. The instrument was first described by mapmaker Thomas Blundeville in his 1589 work, Briefe Description of Universal Mappes & Cardes. Whether he was the true inventor is uncertain, as other writers of the time referred to similar tools. By the early 17th century, protractors were widely used by navigators at sea. In the 20th century, their use spread to elementary and intermediate school students.
Protractors come in various shapes and materials, each designed for different uses. They are made from brass, steel, ivory, and plastic, and can take the form of circles, rectangles, squares, semicircles, quarter-circles (or quadrants), and sixth-circles, with diameters ranging from 5 to 30 centimeters (2–12 inches). They can be marked in degrees, half-degrees, millimeters, or inches. Some protractors combine other tools like rulers, squares, French curves, stencils, templates for basic polygons, and even slots for drawing circles. A Japanese protractor shown at the 1876 World’s Fair had a notched crossbar and featured different Chinese zodiac symbols at each 30-degree mark.
5. Drawing Compass
The drawing compass has ancient origins, with Roman versions of the instrument displayed in the British Museum. Originally, both legs of the compass ended in sharp points, allowing users to scratch a circle into paper. Later, the circle would be inked in. By the 18th century, one leg of the compass was modified to hold a pencil, enabling the drawing of circles on paper. Drawing compasses can be used alone or in combination with a sector.
Historically, drawing compasses were made from various materials like brass, German silver, aluminum, steel, wood, and plastic. They were often designed with decorative elements, and many featured small knobs on the legs for adjusting the width. While Americans typically encounter the drawing compass in elementary school, this simple tool remains an essential item for mathematicians, mechanics, and engineers alike.
4. Three-Ring Binder
The ring binder was invented by German inventor and office supplier Friedrich Soennecken in 1886. Soon after, he introduced the addition of two holes on the side of the binder, positioned 80 millimeters apart, a measurement that became the standard for binder hole distances.
In 1854, Henry T. Sisson from Rhode Island developed the two- and three-ring binders when loose-leaf paper first became available. However, it wasn’t until 1899 that these binders were mass-produced by the Chicago Binder and File Company. Despite the later appearance of D-ring and four-ring binders, the three-ring version remains the most popular choice for students today.
3. Backpack
Backpacks are a relatively recent invention. Before their creation, students would bundle their books together and carry them tied with leather or cloth straps. Some boys would carry them tucked under their arms, while girls would cradle them like infants. In 1938, Gerry Outdoors, a retailer of outdoor gear, invented the first zippered backpack. However, students at the time showed little interest, and these backpacks were mainly used by campers, hikers, and skiers. The more traditional strap or briefcase-style satchels continued to be the favored option among students.
Gerry Outdoors also introduced the first modern nylon backpack in 1967, which became an immediate hit with outdoor enthusiasts. Yet, it wasn't until JanSport developed a lighter version that students started adopting backpacks for carrying textbooks and supplies. The trend quickly spread across public schools and universities nationwide. Over the years, backpacks have evolved to become smaller and are now designed with multiple compartments for storing smartphones, laptops, and other accessories.
2. Lunch Box
Lunch boxes originated in the late 19th century as lunch pails. These early versions resembled buckets but came with lids. As time went on, lunch boxes evolved from metal pails to shapes more akin to breadbaskets, many featuring clasps for securing the lids. Eventually, students began carrying their own lunch boxes to school, mirroring the tradition of their fathers taking theirs to work.
The first commercially-produced lunch boxes emerged in 1902, designed to resemble picnic baskets. To appeal to children, the boxes often featured playful images of kids at play. During the 1950s, Mickey Mouse-themed lunch boxes became a huge trend. One particular lunch box, painted to look like a school bus, showcased Mickey and his friends, including Pinocchio, Dumbo, and Goofy.
Many lunch boxes, particularly those made by Thermos, were themed around popular TV shows. Over the years, lunch boxes featuring characters from Gunsmoke, Lost in Space, Julia, and The Partridge Family became popular. Others were inspired by icons like Barbie, The Beatles, and the Harlem Globetrotters. As TV shows evolved, so did lunch box designs, with figures like Woody Woodpecker, Kung Fu, and Knight Rider gracing the shelves of retailers.
During their peak years (1950–1970), 120 million lunch boxes were sold. However, today’s students prefer soft, insulated polyester lunch boxes that can easily fit into backpacks. Despite this shift, the lunch box is far from extinct. In fact, it's currently experiencing a resurgence, with merchants offering both 'reissues of classic designs' and 'new versions with a retro feel.'
1. Paper Hole Reinforcements
Loose-leaf paper was invented in 1854, but it wasn’t until 1992 that Kenneth J. Russo and George Block patented paper hole reinforcements. These circular adhesive labels with a punched-out center typically come in sheets today, although they were originally mounted on rolls. The reinforcements were initially designed for use in hospitals and other institutions where there was a high demand for removable record sheets due to the wear and tear on such documents.
Before Russo and Block’s invention, fabric or plastic pieces with glue on one side were used to reinforce paper holes. These materials had a backing that was difficult to remove. The new pressure-sensitive reinforcements, however, did not have a backing, making them much easier to apply. Available in transparent or opaque plastics such as polyethylene, polyester, acetates, or polystyrene, they were originally packaged on rolls designed to align with the holes in standard three-ring or five-ring binders. Though thin, the reinforcements were durable, boasting a tensile strength of 70 pounds per square inch. In schools, they became essential for preserving important assignments and preventing students from having to redo their work.
