How the Humble Pencil Conquered the World

(via Popular Mechanics) Pencils aren’t just for the SATs. It is the go-to drawing tool of the carpenter and the architect, the cartoonist and the painter. We used pencils when we learned math in elementary school, and a graphite-filled piece of wood remains the implement of choice for anyone who needs to make a mark that is not permanent. The pencil’s journey into your hand has been a 500-year process of discovery and invention.