7 Things You Didn't Know About Pencils
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National Pencil Day (March 30) is a big deal in pencil circles. Pencil sales are better than ever, in spite of consumer infatuation with high-tech tablets and other digital tools and gewgaws. Sales of pencils in the U.S. increased 6.8 percent last year, according to a study by the NPD Group.<p> To celebrate the day — and pave the way for the 100th anniversary next year of its famous yellow No. 2 pencils dear to the hearts of standardized test-takers across the globe — pencil manufacturer Dixon Ticonderoga (the world's largest) has opened its vault of pencil fact, legend and lore to encourage people to sharpen their writing instruments and knowledge of <a href=http://www.ipadnewsdaily.com/211-no-more-pencils-no-more-books-school-only-uses-ipads.html target=”_blank”> pencils</a>. Here are some to-the-point facts from that vault.
"Take out your No. 2 pencil" is a familiar command for anyone who has ever faced a <a href='http://www.livescience.com/15555-schools-cut-recess-learning-suffers.html' target=”_blank”>standardized test</a>. But it's not a request that test-takers use their second-string pencils. The No. 2 stands for the hardness or blackness of the writing core.
That little section of exposed shaved wood just above a <a href=http://promotional-products-stores-review.toptenreviews.com/going-green-with-eco-friendly-promotional-products.html target=”_blank”>pencil's</a> writing point is called the collar. The ferrule, on the other hand, is the metal eraser holder.
Our friends across the pond must be very confident in their <a href=http://writing-enhancement-software-review.toptenreviews.com/help-wanted-excellent-writing-skills-required.html target=”_blank”>writing skills</a>, say the experts at Dixon Ticonderoga. European pencils come without erasers.
Writers are known for their passionate attachment to the tools of their trade. For many, nothing will take the place of a pencil. Roald Dahl, author of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," was so attached that he couldn't begin writing until he had sharpened six No. 2 pencils. He's not the only literary light with a pencil connection. "Walden Pond" author Henry David Thoreau worked in his father's pencil factory inventing techniques for grinding <a href=http://www.technewsdaily.com/593-chip-advance-could-lead-to-faster-computers.html target=”_blank”>graphite</a>, the mineral that is called pencil "lead."
A typical pencil can write as many as 45,000 words, the length of a <a href=http://www.newsarama.com/comics/willingham-sturges-30-day-writers-challenge-120110.html target=”_blank”>short novel</a>.
The pencil is the <a href="http://www.livescience.com/6636-programmable-matter-lead-universal-toolbox.html" target=”_blank”>Swiss Army Knife</a> of writing instruments — it can write effectively in zero gravity, upside down and under water.
Dixon Ticonderoga is the oldest U.S. pencil manufacturer still making pencils today and one of the <a href= http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/1978-america-oldest-companies.html target=”_blank”>oldest companies in the U.S.</a> The company was founded in 1795 as the Philadelphia to Lancaster Turnpike Road Co. It became Dixon Ticonderoga in 1983.<p> <i>Reach BusinessNewsDaily senior writer Ned Smith at <a href=mailto:nsmith@techmedianetwork.com>nsmith@techmedianetwork.com</a>. Follow him on Twitter @<a href=http://www.twitter.com/nedbsmith target=”_blank”>nedbsmith</a>.</i><br><br> <li><a href= http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2025-missing-stolen-pens.html>Your Missing Pen May Be in the Hands of Workplace Thief</a> <li><a href=http://www.space.com/8693-stuff-pencils-discovered-moon.html target=”_blank”>Stuff of Pencils Discovered on the Moon</a> <li><a href=http://digital-pen-review.toptenreviews.com/digital-pens-used-in-business.html/?cmpid=ttr-bnd target=”_blank”>Digital Pens Used in Business</a></li>
