Overlooked History: Headphones

Headphones are a pair of loudspeakers which are placed near the listener's ears so that only the listener can properly hear the sounds coming out of the loudspeakers. Headphones have developed into useful objects since people can listen to music of their choice almost anywhere you want such as on the bus, on the airplane and simply while walking down the streets. Headphones can now come in different shapes to satisfy users' preferences, such as large ones which cover your entire ear or smaller ones which are more portable. With the creation of headphones, people are listening to music more than ever.

http://www.dansdata.com/images/hd280/hd280_800.jpg

One of the earlier origins of the headphone were used as telephone communicators. Created by Ernest Mercadier in 1891, the headphones were basically tiny and light loudspeakers which were fitted on to the ears. This design later inspired Electrophone system from the U.K. to distribute audio to customers in 1985. The service provided headphone users with audio from live opera, theater and sermons, thus the first form of listening to music through headphones.

http://www.britishtelephones.com/electrophone/electrophone%20users.jpg

The first headphone with the use of amplifiers was created by Nathaniel Baldwin in 1910. By developing amplifiers, he produced more sensitive receivers and therefore better quality headphones. Although the chunky headphones were not popular, it was tested by the U.S. Navy for communication. The headphones proved to be more useful than the Naval radio operators previously used and Baldwin was asked to produce more of these headphones which he gradually did from his kitchen. The headphone design would later be used during WW1 and WW2.

Following World War II and the emergence of Rock n' Roll, John Koss invented the first stereo headphone in 1958. He was fascinated with audio technology and the headphones used at the time, but noticed that the headphones were only made for warplanes and communication instead of music. He therefore created the stereophonic headphone which would became well-known for its transportability and good sound quality. The innovation also became popular for its feeling of being "enclosed in the music". 

The design of the first stereophonic headphone would inspire other companies to create their own headphone design. As its technology improve throughout the years, the headphones improved further in quality and transportability. Today, the small white earphones created by Apple have become so popular that it would be hard to walk around a city and not find someone listening to music through these small loudspeakers.

http://www.schubincafe.com/2011/02/11/headphones-history-hysteria/

http://www.britishtelephones.com/electrophone.htm

http://www.koss.com/en/about/history

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/design/2013/03/a-partial-history-of-headphones/

http://brompton.com/education/9766

http://www.randomhistory.com/2008/08/20_headphones.html

Past and Present... and Future?: Russian Revolutions and Egypt Revolutions

Following the overthrow of the Tunisian government of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, a series of unrest, revolution and civil war has spread across the Arab World and shook the world. One particular country which went into crisis was Egypt which resulted in a popular uprising against the Mubarak government with reasons ranging from raising food prices, desire for democratisation and exploitation of human rights. Eventually, the uprising caused the overthrow of the President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. A year later in June 2012, Mohammed Morsi became the first freely elected president in the Egypt. Another year later in July 2013, he was ousted by the army, rendering the country into further crisis.

http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/content/2013/0702/0702-egypt-protests-morsi-options/16257525-1-eng-US/0702-egypt-protests-morsi-options_full_600.jpg

Despite the promises made by the newly elected Mohamed Morsi, he failed to achieve these promises and therefore resulted in several days of protests and finally another overthrow of the government. It is said that the main weaknesses with Mohamed Morsi was the fact that he couldn't handle the economy due and could neither improve the on-going problems of human rights and social justice. These limitations were the causes of the ongoing protests which seemed similar from only two years ago. Furthermore, Morsi gave himself unlimited powers in order to protect the nation. This proved to be particularly unpopular as it seemed like the country simply changed from one dictatorship to another. And under his dictatorship, the disastrous economic crisis of Egypt worsened and unrest increased until the army ousted President Morsi. Following Morsi's dismissal, Adly Mansour took charge of Egypt as interim president, yet the crisis has not improved but worsened with violence erupting between different opposition groups including the killing of 51 people pro-Morsi supporters on the 8th of July.

http://media.salon.com/2012/11/AP1737546584-1280x960.jpg

Interestingly, the revolution in Egypt is comparable to the significant Russian Revolutions in 1917. In Russia during that time, living conditions were particularly terrible for the majority of the Russian population, the peasants, under the leadership of the repressive Tsar Alexander II, like President Hosni Mubarak. In March (February for the Julian Calendar which was used during Russia during that time), the revolution resulted in the abdication of the Tsar and the formation of the Provisional Government. Like the Morsi government, the Provisional Government was particularly incompetent in handling the catastrophic economy, with living standards decreasing and unemployment increasing. Again, just like the Morsi government, the Provisional Government became more and more unpopular and unrest increased during this time. Eventually, the Bolshevik party, led by Lenin, seized the opportunity and stormed into the Winter Palace where the remaining Provisional Government officials were stationed in order to take power of Russia in the same year in November (October for the Russian calendar). The Bolsheviks' power was not fully consolidated yet and Civil War followed which the Bolsheviks eventually became the victors and were able to establish the Soviet Union, but not after heavy casualties.

http://www.local-life.com/st-petersburg/pages/m.1161_1917-russian-revolution.jpg

Now, what is interesting and similar about these two events is the sequence of how one leader was overthrown soon after another for not living up to the expectations of the general public. The timing of Morsi's coup d'état after Mubarak was overthrown resembles largely with the Bolshevik seize of power over the Provisional Government set up after the Tsar abdicated. Plus, the question about whether the Bolshevik seize of power was a popular uprising or not has been hugely debated among historians such as liberal historians viewing it as an attempt by a small minority led by the successful leadership of Lenin and Trotsky while Marxist historians believe the revolution was a popular uprising. This question has been raised again on whether the overthrow of Morsi was a popular uprising or not. Despite the comparisons, there are some differences among the two events as well such as the Bolshevik seizure of power being virtually bloodless with little violence involved, although the Civil War which followed slightly soon after resulted in the deaths of at least two and a half million people, while the army's coup d'état was followed by violence. The extent of this violence cannot determined fully yet as it is an ongoing problem and it is too soon to make a conclusion. However, solutions for this violence does not seem to be appearing anytime soon and further casualties are likely to occur in Egypt. In an extreme view, a civil war could perhaps occur in Egypt among different political groups in Russia, although it is highly unlikely to be of the same extent as the Russia Civil War mainly because of the size difference of Russia compared to Egypt. Nonetheless, the crisis does not seem to have an end nearing anytime soon and it would not be surprising to see the crisis unfold further on the news.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Morsi
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/05/morsi-final-days-egypt-president
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/feb/17/what-caused-egyptian-revolution
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Egyptian_revolution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunisian_revolution
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18371427
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23250567
Evans, David, and Jane Jenkins. Years of Russia, the USSR and the collapse of Soviet communism. 2nd ed. London: Hodder Murray, 2008. Print.
Gauci, Joe. Ib history: origins and development of authoritarian and single-party states.. S.l.: Oxford Study Courses, 2010. Print.

Past and Present... and Future?: Heinrich Bruning's austerity measures for the Weimar Republic and Greece's economic crisis

For several years now, Greece's economy has been in turmoil after its budget deficit spiralled out of control. The country is in recession, have high unemployment and are struggling to economically recover. The Greek government therefore have decided to slowly use austerity measures which involves increasing taxes and cut government spending. Although these economic measures are necessary to keep Greece alive, the people of Greece will certainly not be happy.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Greek_debt_and_EU_average.png

The struggling economy of Greece has caused disastrous problems to the country with the unemployment rate at 27.2% (and still increasing) of the entire workforce in January 2013. In order to help the economy and pay off debts, the cabinet of the Greek Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, has decided to impose austerity measures which increases taxes and decreases government spending. All of this might seem a negative for Greece in the short run, however many argue that these measures are needed, and suffering must occur, in order to save the nation. But the Greek people have opposed this and a several anti-austerity general strike have been created to attempt to end austerity. This would cause disruptions to public services such as transport and hospitals and cause even greater trouble to the country.

The economic crisis of Greece is very similar to the Weimar Republic, the form of government in Germany from 1919 to 1933, where the country went into disaster following the Wall Street Crash in October 1929 and the resulting Great Depression in the world. The terrible economic crisis led to 30% of the German workforce to be unemployed in 1932. The President of the Weimar Republic, Paul von Hindenburg, therefore appointed Heinrich Brüning as Chancellor to solve the situation. Brüning's solution was austerity measures and he increased taxes, reduced government spending, imposed high tariffs on foreign products and cutbacks in salaries and unemployment insurance benefits and continued to pay reparations from the Treaty of Versailles. Chancellor Brüning believed in pain now for prosperity later and his long-term decisions may have been the right decisions to save the Republic. However, people don't want to suffer the pain and look long term. Many of the unemployed belived that the policy was callous and ineffective. Support for the Weimar Republic therefore dramatically decreased, strikes were formed, and support went to more extreme parties such as the Communists and the Nationalists.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Bundesarchiv_Bild_119-2600%2C_Heinrich_Brüning.jpg

The result of the austerity measures by the Weimar Republic was loss in support and increase in support for the Nazis, Hitler's party. The Nazis promised the opposite, with successful propaganda orchestrated by Josef Goebbels, such as tackling unemployment through job creation schemes, subsidies for peasants, and law and order as well as naming scapegoats as the reason for Germany's problems. This obviously appealed to the Germans more than Brüning's austerity measures. The Nazis who only had less than 2.6% of seats in the elections of 1928, before the Wall Street Crash, now had 37.27% of seats in the July 1932 and were the largest party in Germany. Later on, Hitler became more influential and took power over Germany with him as a dictator. The rest is history.

And this is what can be potentially worrying about Greece's future. Clearly, the Greek people want an alternative to austerity measures. Therefore, any extremist parties such as the Communists and Nationalists have a great opportunity to increase their support by saving the country. With their increase in support, they can then get rid of the current government and take control of the country. These parties may initially be good at first, but can also turn to be disastrous for the country as seen with the Communist party in the Soviet Union with Stalin in charge and the Nationalist party in Nazi Germany with Hitler in charge. History has proven us that governments like the Communist party in Russia and the Nazi party in Germany have failed and therefore should not be repeated it again. But then again, the fact that Greece's politicians have caused their country to go into economic crisis in the first place shows that people do not learn from history after all.





http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22362757
http://alphahistory.com/weimargermany/great-depression/
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/heinrich_bruning.htm
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/82225/Heinrich-Bruning
http://lancasteronline.com/blogs/smartremarks/2011/11/17/a-brief-bloody-history-of-austerity/
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/greece/unemployment-rate
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13798000
Gauci, Joe. IB History Route 2:Origins and Development of Authoritarian and Single-Party States. Oxford, UK: OSC IB Revision Guides, 2010. Print.

Past and Present... and Future?: Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbour and North Korea's nuclear threat

North Korea's threats to send nuclear attacks to South Korea seem to have subsidised, possibly thankfully. After several talks with John Kerry, U.S. Secretary of State, the incident with North Korea has become less worrying and we do not hear much about it on the news anymore. However, how can we ever be sure about what they are thinking?

http://media.salon.com/2013/04/north_korea2.jpg

Recently, North Korea has had peace discussions with the United States so that conflict could be avoided. So far, the threat from North Korea seems to have decreased and therefore perhaps Kim Jong-Un has opted not attack after all. Some expected an incident to occur on April 15, Kim Il-Sung's, first leader of North Korea and Kim Jong-Un's grandfather, birthday. However, no attacks have happened yet and what we see on the news is tragic attack in Boston. Luckily, maybe there won't be any conflict or war in the end.

Or maybe this was all planned anyway. I've heard from other sources that Kim Jong-Un's main reason for his threat was not because he wanted to attack the U.S.A but to actually consolidate his power. They claim that he's smart enough to know that the U.S.A are too large to risk going to war against and therefore is only looking to get the support of his own people. Since the media in North Korea has been heavily censored since the Korean War in the 1950's, where North Korea went to war with the United States, public opinion on America has always been very negative because they are unable to see how the world is like outside their country. Therefore, Kim Jong-Un is supposedly threatening the United States to increase the support from his own people but deciding to not attack in the end so that he can tell his people that he scared off the Americans and stopped them from war. This would be a fantastic propaganda attempt and would help him seem like the true hero of North Korea. But who knows? He may be a complete madman after all.

Anyway, the time in history which I would like to compare this incident is again Japan in 1941, right before they went to war with the United States. In fact, only about a week before the incident of Pearl Harbour, where the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the American naval fleet in Hawaii and resulting in war in the Pacific between Japan and the U.S., Shigenori Togo, Japan's foreign minister, was trying to make negotiations with the United States prevent war even on 29 November, just over a week before the attack on Pearl Harbour on 7 December Japan time (8 December Hawaii time). What this shows is that peace negotiations were still being held and war did not seem to occur anytime soon, but shockingly, the Japanese air force unexpectedly attacked and stunned the whole world and defining parts of World War II. It was a complete surprise. For example, Joachim von Ribbentrop, the German foreign minister, was angry about the situation because he thought that the press department fell for a propaganda trick by Germany's enemies.

http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2013/04/16/1226621/836420-north-korea-koreas-tension.jpg

What makes this event in history similar to today is how although risk of conflict seems to be subsidising, we never know what the North Koreans are up to. Just like the Japanese, they might think that war with the United States is inevitable because of the sanctions she is posing on the country. Just like Japan, the country might be smaller in military than the United States, also definitely smaller than Japan in 1941, but still might end up shockingly attacking them. Of course, there are many different suggestions of what Kim Jong-Un is planning to do, but a surprise attack by the North Koreans cannot be ruled out especially when the official news agency, KCNA, stated that they won't warn South Korea before attacking them. To conclude, although hopefully the reduction in threats by North Korea is a sign of peace, do not be surprised if Kim Jong-Un does fulfill his words about sending nuclear weapons.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/16/world/asia/koreas-tensions/index.html

Kershaw, Ian. Fateful choices: ten decisions that changed the world, 1940-1941. New York: Penguin Press, 2007. Print.

Overlooked History: Lamination Paper

Lamination is when multiple layers of a material covers another material or an object in order to improve its appearance, strength and resistance. Lamination paper is a type of paper which is used as a laminate. Lamination paper is often used on common copy paper in order to prevent the content of the paper being ruined by getting ripped or getting wet. Lamination paper is also used on furniture, decoration panels and flooring.

http://www.atcomaart.com/Upload%20Image/Product%20Image/UploadImages/UNV62126_1_12.JPG

Apparently, the first proper use of laminating paper may have dated back to the mid 1800s where damaged documents where repaired with translucent paper. Lamination paper was first widely used in the 1930s in order to strength copy paper. Lamination did actually exist before that as an insulator for industrial products. As more uses of plastic lamination was discovered, the product became more popular in the 30's, especially after discovering that it could be used as decoration since looks are all that matters. Lamination paper also proved to be cost-effective for protecting large quantities of important documents.

The use of lamination paper particularly boomed after the lamination projects from the 1930s to 1940s created by large organisations such as the National Archives and the Library of Congress. Although initially lamination was only used for important historical documents, it soon became used for literally anything. 

http://www.visualphotos.com/photo/2x4001666/laminated_paper_42-19599949.jpg

Placing lamination paper between documents was produced by discarding the acid on a document, layering it between thin sheets of plastic and fusing it all together in heat. This method however was altered by many different scientists in order to simplify it because the high pressure and heat on the document would sometimes cause the layers to be permanently stuck on the document or even damage the paper. For example, the use of a plastic, cellulose acetate, decreased the temperature needed to fuse the document or the use of a Japanese tissue on top of the cellulose acetate helped increase the strength of the paper and lose its shiny appearance. 

Today, many important documents and unnecessary school papers have been laminated in order to protect them. Although we do not generally appreciate much about lamination paper, it has greatly improved education by conserving historical information which could have potentially damaged and lost forever.

http://anthropology.si.edu/conservation/lamination/

http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Decorative-Plastic-Laminate.html#b

http://cool.conservation-us.org/byauth/roggia/barrow/chap05.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamination_paper

Overlooked History: Cotton buds

Cotton buds are simply rods with a small wad of cotton covering each side or one side of the rod. The most common usage of cotton buds are for cleaning the ear from ear wax but can also be used for make up and applying alcohol on them for cuts and bruises. They are quite useful objects actually, however we rarely do give much thought to it either.

http://www.poundland.co.uk/images/8147/original/04266-Johnson-Cotton-Buds-1.jpg

Cotton buds originally were invented by Polish-born American, Leo Gerstenzang, in 1923. In fact, he received the idea from his wife who placed wads of cotton on the ends of toothpicks in order to clean their baby's ears. However, worrying that the toothpicks might be dangerous for the baby, he decided to redesign his wife's improvisation. Leo Gerstenzang therefore created the first proper cotton bud by placing cotton swabs around both ends of a wooden stick. Thus, the birth of Baby Gays.

Yes, that was the first name that Gerstenzang gave to his invention. The name, Baby Gays, will mostly likely have different connotations today and therefore is no longer named that way. Gerstenzang, deciding that the first name was not the best choice, later changed the name to Q-Tips Baby Gays. The 'Q' stands for quality while the 'tips' refer to the ends of the cotton bud. Finally, the 'Baby Gays' part of the name was dropped and Q-tips would remain the name of this great invention to this day.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00797/cotton-bud_797609c.jpg

Leo Gerstenzang founded the Leo Gerstenzang Infant Novelty Company in order to make a business out of his Q-tips. Although he struggled initially, his business thrived later on and consumers bought the cotton buds to clean their babies' outer ears, their nostrils and other areas I would not like to know. In 1958, Gerstenzang's company bought Paper Sticks Ltd. of England and now the cotton buds could be made of both wood and paper. 

Q-Tips is now owned Chesebrough-Ponds after purchasing the company in 1962. The company produces nearly twenty-six billion cotton buds each year and they are all made of paper after the wooden sticks were no longer made in the 1980's. Despite their simple concept, cotton buds are used for all sorts of things other than for cleaning the baby because of their ability to reach hard-to-reach places.

Cotton buds are a fantastic uncomplicated invention which is very beneficial today. Yet, it's amazing how it all started from just a mother who wanted to keep her own baby hygienic.

http://voices.yahoo.com/the-history-q-tips-cotton-swabs-148102.html

http://inventors.about.com/od/qstartinventions/a/QTips.htm

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2896800044.html

Past and Present... and Future?: Japan withdraws from the League of Nations and North Korea ends non-aggression pacts

Another series of blog posts that I will be posting about is called "Past and Present... and Future?". In this series, I will be looking at current day events and comparing it with previous events in history. Some of the events I compare might seem completely irrelevant, however the saying, "History always repeats itself," is no fiction and we do not realise how different events in history are so similar and so connected. The purpose of this is not just to compare two events, but to also predict the future from this analysis. The future of a current day event might be predicted accurately by seeing how the comparable event in history turned out. Of course, most of these will not likely be completely accurate, but hopefully the blog post will give a better insight on what's happening in the world right now and will also interest you.

The first current day event I will be talking about is North Korea's decision to end armistice with South Korea.

http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/content/2013/0305-world-latestnews-northkorea/15183629-1-eng-US/0305-world-latestnews-northkorea_full_600.jpg

Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-Un

On 8 March 2013, North Korea announced that it will end all non-aggression pacts with their neighbouring country, South Korea. This comes after North Korea's nuclear tests and their threats that the United States is the target for their nuclear programmes. After worries of potential aggression from North Korea, the announcement of ending a 60 years-old armistice with South Korea has caused shock in the world. The announcement also included the decisions to close the joint border crossing and cutting hotlines with South Korea. Although there haven't been any violence thus far, there intentions and their preparation for aggression are some reasons for worry.

And now, what does this even remind me of? The historical event could actually be compared to all sorts of times where countries have decided against peaceful treaties and pacts. But, the one I picked was Japan's withdrawal from the League of Nations.

http://www.globalautonomy.ca/global1/glofigures/GL_OR_LeagueOfNations_Fig1.jpg

A meeting of the League Assembly in 1920

O 19 September 1931, the Kwantung Army, part of the Japanese Imperialist Army, began invading Manchuria (without the Japanese government's consent). The motives for invading Manchuria was because it was a large area of land full of natural resources, which Japan needed after her economy was troubled due to the Great Depression and had a rapidly growing population. Plus, they already had an army stationed there. This act of aggression was a breach of several treaties and pacts that Japan signed such as the Kellogg-Briand Pact, a pact agreeing not to use war, and the League of Nations, an international organisation which aimed maintain world peace. After negative responses from Western powers demanding an end to the invasion, Japan decided to simply withdraw from the League of Nations on February 24, 1933. This left Japan isolated and she did not have any powers stopping them from their actions. She were able to completely capture Manchuria. Eventually, Japan expanded their invasion across China, down to South East Asia and even attacked the U.S.A at Pearl Harbour. 

The fact that both the Empire of Japan back in the 1930's and North Korea today ended some sort of non-aggression pacts and threatened other countries give thoughts to worry about. Although North Korea hasn't committed any invasions or acts of violence unlike Japan did with Manchuria, they potentially could follow the same path as Japan and attack South Korea or the United States in the near future. Although they might not have enough resources and modern technology to commit a war against foreign powers, they certainly do have intentions do so. And, if their claim that they posses nuclear weapons is to be true, the future is something to be concerned about because Kim Jong-Un does not seem afraid of utilising them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21709917

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/11/north-korea-declares-end-armistice

http://www.johndclare.net/league_of_nations6_news.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_invasion_of_Manchuria

https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/WorldWar2/manchuria.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_nations

Gauci, Joe. IB History Route 2:Origins and Development of Authoritarian and Single-Party States. Oxford, UK: OSC IB Revision Guides, 2010. Print.

Overlooked History: The Pencil

This is my first entry of a series to come called Overlooked History. Basically, Overlooked History is the brief history of usually objects, but also possibly people, places, or events, which are never thought about in our daily life. These objects can include objects that we see everyday that we do not give second thoughts about or really abstract objects which most of us have never heard of. The aim of these entries is to not only inform you about the history of these objects but to also help you give more of a thought on the things that exist around us in the world and to interest you on typically boring objects. Plus, I am sure that you will always learn something new.

The first object I've decided to write about is the classic school equipment, the pencil.

http://blogs-images.forbes.com/rogerkay/files/2011/03/pencil1.jpg

Now we all know what the purpose of a pencil is. The inside of pencils are made of graphite which are used to mark a trace on a sheet of paper in order to write letters, make drawings, etc. As young children, this was one of our main tools of learning in helping us write. But, how did this such simple object come to exist. This is the time where we look into its history.

The first form of writing instrument dates back thousands of years ago when cavemen used sharp stones to make scratches on the walls of a cave.  However, we are the interested in the first pencil whose origin dates back to 1565. In Borrowdale, in the Cumberland hills of England, a large deposit of a grey-black glistening substance was discovered. This substance had the same colour as lead, it was greasy, soft and brittle and kept leaving stains. This substance was graphite, but it was first called black-lead (In fact, the substance was not called graphite until the 18th century when Swedish chemist, Karl Wilhelm Scheele, identified it to be like a crystallised form of carbon. He named the substance "graphite" after the Greek word for writing, "Graphein"), and it was seen as more convenient for writing and drawing instead of the previously used ink and pen. And, this was when graphite was proved to be a world-changing and extremely valuable material in the world.

Borrowdale, the birth place of the pencil

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Borrowdale_-_Rosthwaite.jpg

Despite the usefulness of graphite, it was too brittle to be carried. It therefore needed some holder, and after several attempts, the method of inserting the graphite into hollowed-out wooden sticks was seen to be the best way in holding the pencil. And this is how the wood-cased pencil, the form of pencil we use today, was created.

This is the oldest known wood cased pencil

http://www.faber-castell.ie/bausteine.net/img/showimg.aspx?biid=16561&domid=1010

Although the first mass-produced pencils took place in Nuremberg, Germany in 1761 by Kaspar Fabar, the most significant form of pencil mass production was in 1839 by Lothan Fabar, his grand-son. It was him who mechanised production and formed pencils in large amounts yet in good quality using water power, then later steam power. It was him who created the hexagonal shape for the pencil and gave different pencils different hardnesses. And it was also him, and his grand-father, who originated the company which operates today, Faber-Castell, one of the world's largest makers for pencils. 

Throughout 1565 until up to today, the pencil has been altered many times in order to become more comfortable in the user's hand and to become easier to use. However, the event that truly helped the world positively was the accidental finding of large amounts of graphite in Borrowdale. Graphite has been truly beneficial to human kind in not only teaching and expressing arts through pencils but also for many other uses such as batteries and steelmaking. But despite the importance of pencils today, I also think to myself, "Will pencils still be needed in the future?' as I type up the end of this entry. 

http://www.pencils.com/blog/pencil-history/

http://www.faber-castell.ie/34507/All-About-Pencils/Pencils-A-History/default_news.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pencil#cite_note-norgate-4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphite

http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa100197.htm