Changes

==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 name="about.com">http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryfaqs/f/eraser.htm</ref><br />

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 even without erasers. However, sometimes a way to remove writing still was needed. It was eventually found that white bread could be used for this purpose, so this became the accepted practice until the 1770s when better erasure was needed.<ref name="about.com">http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryfaqs/f/eraser.htm</ref><br />

In 1770, [[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"/> 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"/><br />

In 1770, [[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"/> Rather, a British engineer named Edward Nairne was credited with the discovery of 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"/><br />

Rubber erasers were an interesting creation, but there is still a problem.  Like bread, rubber spoils over time.  However, in 1839, Charles Goodyear invented a process by which rubber could be vulcanized, which prevented it from spoiling.  Only then did rubber become a common substance for a variety of applications.  Among other uses, vulcanized rubber became the standard component of pencil erasers.  This more than anything else made rubber erasers commonplace.  Then in 1858, a Philadelphian man named Hymen Lipman patented the idea of putting erasers on the end of pencils.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/15/magazine/who-made-that-built-in-eraser.html?_r=0</ref>  He attached small pieces of eraser (called plugs to this day) to the back end of the pencil with ferrules.<ref name="TheAtlantic"/> This patent was later overturned, but the idea quickly caught on in America. However, most European pencils still do not include erasers.<ref name="pencils.com">http://pencils.com/the-great-eraser-caper</ref>

Rubber erasers were an interesting creation, but there is still a problem.  Like bread, rubber spoils over time.  However, in 1839, Charles Goodyear invented a process by which rubber could be vulcanized, which prevented it from spoiling.  Only then did rubber become a common substance for a variety of applications.  Among other uses, vulcanized rubber became the standard component of pencil erasers.  This more than anything else made rubber erasers commonplace.  Then in 1858, a Philadelphian man named Hymen Lipman patented the idea of putting erasers on the end of pencils.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/15/magazine/who-made-that-built-in-eraser.html?_r=0</ref>  He attached small pieces of eraser (called plugs to this day) to the back end of the pencil with ferrules.<ref name="TheAtlantic"/> This patent was later overturned, but the idea quickly caught on in America. However, most European pencils still do not include erasers.<ref name="pencils.com">http://pencils.com/the-great-eraser-caper</ref>