Many people, including myself, consider me “old school”. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that I would get so excited to learn about National Pencil Day. Pencils are so my jam - I can’t wait to celebrate this national day. I use pencils to write so many notes that I go thru them like water. Every Fall, when it’s time to buy new school supplies, my kids do not need pencils because their school provides them. But that doesn’t stop me from taking advantage of the low “back to school” prices and buying fresh packs of No. 2s.

“National Pencil Day commemorates the day Hymen Lipman received his patent for a pencil with an eraser attached. The day has been observed since the 1970s.” according to NationalDayCalendar.com. “Hymen Lipman received the first patent for attaching an eraser to the end of a pencil on this day in 1858. Before that time, pencils and erasers existed separately. Lipman combined the two making two tools much more convenient to use. The intuitive businessman also manufactured envelopes for his stationery shop and was the first to add adhesive to the flap of envelopes.”

Thank you for being innovative Mr. Lipman! Although, I usually use up the eraser on my pencils before the pencil is ready to toss away so I attach a handy eraser cap to the end (see photo above). To me, it extends the life of the pencil and it gives back some of its height. I know, I’m a dork! Read below to learn about why I feel validated for coveting the pencil and how pencils played a big part in history:

On the nationaldaycalendar.com website they inform us that “During World War II, Cumberland Pencil Company out of Kenswick, England produced pencils that were designed to function. However, the pencils were hollow with graphite on either end. Between the graphite, the makers had stowed maps to aid captured military personnel in their escape to freedom. Charles Fraser Smith designed them in 1942 and at night, when the factory closed, workers would assemble them under secrecy. The miniature maps detailed escape routes from prisoner of war camps and also included a miniature compass. Throughout the war, these small tools were issued to members of the Royal Airforce and sent to POW camps.”

Charles Fraser Smith was another innovative person. Imagine how tiny those maps needed to be in order to fit inside the pencil. I wonder if those pencils are still made? Maybe instead of escape maps we could roll up secret recipes for our favorite hot dishes, book titles or our kids’ cell phone numbers - I can never remember their numbers.

The website also states: “In the United States, most pencils are painted yellow. It is believed this tradition began in 1890 when the L & C Hardtmuth Company of Austria-Hungary introduced their Koh-I-Noor brand, named after the famous diamond. They intended the pencil to be the world’s best and most expensive pencil. However, other companies began to copy the yellow color so that their pencils would be associated with the high-quality brand'.”

Who would have thought that something as simple as a pencil would need an image boost? I love that there was this desire to dress up the pencil in order to be fancy enough to be compared to a diamond. I agree with the pencil company, pencils are gems!

I wish I had my act together because I would have sent a pencil pack to each of our teachers or to my gal pals who use pencils just as much as I do. However, National Pencil Day is celebrated on March 30th every year and since that is today, the pencils wouldn’t make it on time. Bummer! But there is a silver lining (there always is), and that is that it gives me an opportunity to let the lovely hotel staff, the ones who have been taking care of us since we arrived (my hub has been here since Jan 15, 2021), that we are grateful and we are thinking of them. Doing this brings me so much joy! I should be looking for houses but instead, I’m planning ways to give out these pencils pinches. I can’t wait to deliver them.

Pinches,

Barb