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STOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES
Year that the earliest known wooden pencil was crafted by inserting graphite, a form of the element carbon (C), into a hollow tube of wood.
Year that erasers, made of rubber, were first attached to pencils.
Length of the line that could be drawn using the graphite found in the average pencil.
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Approximate number of pencils that can be made from a single tree.
SOURCES: CHEMICAL & ENGINEERING NEWS, DISCOVER MAGAZINE, GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS, MUSGRAVE PENCIL COMPANY, 100 ESSENTIAL THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU DIDN’T KNOW: MATH EXPLAINS YOUR WORLD BY JOHN D. BARROW