The Surprising History of the Pencil

"Take out your No. 2 pencils for Iowa Test of Basic Skills."  There are many things about grade school that no longer haunt me, but a call for pencils will make my stomach churn in a flash.  Rigidly timed, complicated instructions and inflexible rules made standardized test taking very different from normal classroom life.  And while it was not the cause of the anxiety, the No. 2 yellow pencil, the easily remembered visual associated with those tests, gets the blame. 

This week, a look at the history of the pencil.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Take a sad song and make it better." – The Beatles, "Hey Jude" (Lennon-McCartney)

   The Surprising History of the Pencil by fredwine