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During the late 16th century, an Italian couple - Simonio and Lyndiana Bernacotti - created the first pencil, which was just a stick made of juniper.
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In the late 1500s, in the Borrowdale area of the Lake District, deposits of pure graphite were found. They were mostly used by farmers to mark their sheep.
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Using clay and ground graphite, scientist Nicholas Jasques Conte invented a newer pencil for Napoleon's army during the Napoleonic War since they had no access to pure English graphite.
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Near Keswick, a major pencil manufacturing industry was created in the 19th century.
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Around the 19th century, a German company named Staedtler invented colored oil pastel pencils. They were only used for checking and marking items.
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Finally, during the late 19th century, stationer Hymen Lipman imitated the creation of the pencil - however, he added a new feature that we still use to this day. He added a small piece of rubber on the end of the pencil, which we call the "eraser".
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Faber-Castell and Caran d'Ache produced colored pencils in 1924. But these weren't just for checking and marking - they were used for art, such as sketching, shading, drawing, etc.
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Berol imitated the production of colored pencils during 1938. Others - such as Derwent, Progresso, Lyra Rembrandt, and Blick Studio - followed during the late 1930s and early 40s.