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The '''Pencil eraser''' is an item which is now considered common.  They are on the end of almost every American pencil, and can also be bought separately for very cheap prices.  However, they should not be considered uninteresting simply because of their popularity.

The '''Pencil eraser''' is an item which is now considered common.  They are on the end of almost every American pencil, and can also be bought separately for very cheap prices.  However, they should not be considered uninteresting simply because of their popularity.

==History==

==History==

The idea of removing mistakes or other unneeded text from writing is nothing new.  In the time of the Roman Empire, wax tablet were used for writing on, and palimpsests were used to remove unwanted text.<ref name="TheAtlantic">http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/08/10-things-you-probably-did-not-know-about-eraser-technology/279028</ref>  When [[Pencil]]s were invented, they proved to be useful items without erasers. It was found that white bread could be used for this purpose, however, so this became the accepted practice until the 1770s when erasure was needed.<ref>http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryfaqs/f/eraser.htm</ref>

The idea of removing mistakes or other unneeded text from writing is nothing new.  In the time of the Roman Empire, wax tablet were used for writing on, and palimpsests were used to remove unwanted text.<ref name="TheAtlantic">http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/08/10-things-you-probably-did-not-know-about-eraser-technology/279028</ref>  When [[Pencil]]s were invented, they proved to be useful items without erasers. It was found that white bread could be used for this purpose, however, so this became the accepted practice until the 1770s when erasure was needed.<ref name="about.com">http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryfaqs/f/eraser.htm</ref><br />

In 1770, a man by the name of Joseph Priestley described rubber as "a substance excellently adapted to the purpose of wiping from paper the mark of black lead pencil."  However, his idea did not catch on.<ref name="TheAtlantic">http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/08/10-things-you-probably-did-not-know-about-eraser-technology/279028</ref> Rather, a British engineer named Edward Nairne was credited with the discovery or rubber as an eraser that same year.  He claimed that he had inadvertently used rubber instead of bread crumbs when attempting to erase pencil marks.  Nairne is credited with developing Europe's and first rubber eraser, though some still question whether he actually came upon this idea by accident.<ref name="about.com">http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryfaqs/f/eraser.htm</ref>