Contents of your stationery drawer

When was the last time you rummaged through your stationery drawer? What were the contents of it, did you give any thought on how these everyday products came into existence and by who? Well, we have, and thought we should tell you where all these items we offer, and you use daily come from.  

Eraser  

Before the eraser was invented, we relied on bread that had the crusts removed and rolled into a ball, to remove pencil marks. Bread has its obvious disadvantages, other than just being food, it is susceptible to mould. The eraser was invented accidentally when English engineer Edward Nairne decided to use a piece of rubber instead of breadcrumbs when drawing in 1770.    

Lined paper  

Before lined paper was commercialised pre-1770, Scribes would add their own lines. They would do this by lightly scratching them into the surface of the vellum. However, in 1770, Englishman John Tetlow was given the first patent for the lined paper ruling machine. We still use it in classrooms, offices and homes to this day. Today we use all sorts of different rulings for different writers. Some have wider spaces and some smaller spaces: such as KS1, KS2 and secondary school children.  

Pencil sharpeners  

Originally, knives were used to sharpen pencils. However, that comes with a few issues, such as being time-consuming and potentially hazardous. In comes, two Frenchmen – Bernard Lassimione, had the original idea, which was a lot safer, but equally as time-consuming. This sharpener had small metal files set at 90 degrees in a block of wood and it ground the edges of the pencil’s tip.  

Later, in 1847 Therry des Estwuax designed the conical device to twist the pencil. If you have used a pencil sharpener before you'll know it's what we still use to this day.   

Ballpoint pens  

Simple yet effective, a design that needs no modification. The ballpoint pen was invented by an American man named John Loud in 1888, but he couldn’t perfect his design. His device was considered to have no commercial value, and his patent eventually lapsed.  

In the 1930s a Hungarian man named Laszlo Biro Was fed up with the messy fountain pen. He and his brother developed their own. Laszlo escaped the Nazis in 1940 and sold his pens to British Air Force pilots in WWII as they wouldn’t leak at high altitudes. ‘Biros’ are still used and sold to this day.   

Stapler  

The First known stapler was created in 18th century France for King Louis XV. However, the first patent for a stapler wasn’t granted until 1866 for American man George McGill as a small bendable paper fastener. It was less than perfect though as you had to reload it for every use. It wasn’t until 1895 that Hotchkiss company used bendable staples that were wired together.  

Sticky notes   

In the mid-20th Century American chemist, Spencer Silver was working at 3M and was tasked with creating a super-strong adhesive for planes. When he created a weak pressure-sensitive adhesive he believed his idea failed. It wasn’t until 1973 Arthur Fry used Silver’s adhesive to use on his bookmark to prevent it from slipping. It worked amazingly, and the sticky note was born.  

Gel pens  

In the early 1980s, four technicians in Japan were tasked with developing the perfect gel pen ink. Over a thousand ingredients were tried, including egg whites and grated yams. One team member decided to try xanthan gum having seen it advertised in the newspaper, and it worked! Now we have unique gel pens that can be used to create all sorts of things.  

These are items we use daily but give little thought to. Which one of these was most interesting/surprising to you? Next time you pick up a pen or use a stapler, think about the history and how the item came about.