Although it is similar to the common question: Which came first: the chicken or the egg? The question of what came first between the pencil and the pen is not so much a physiological-evolutionary philosophical question, but a purely historical one. But without the historical data at hand, most would be stumped to give an assertive answer. The answer is similar to another common question: which came first, the lighter or the matches? And like this question, most give wrong answer.

Despite appearing to be a more modern piece of technology, the lighter was created before matches, so it can be deduced that the ballpoint pen was invented before the pencil.

The pen

Ever since cavemen began drawing buffalo on the walls of their caves with mud and their fingers, man is destined to invent the pen. Already in the year 4000 a. C., people began to use crude pens made from straws or quills dipped in liquid and they were in use, in some form, until the 19th century, when the first steel-tipped pens and fountain pens were invented. The modern ballpoint pen was invented by Mr. Bíró of Hungary in 1938.

The pencil

It was the ancient Greeks and Romans who first used lead to mark lines for people to write with pens and in the Middle Ages (1500) they saw people use lead or silver sticks to make marks on papyrus (ancient version of paper). But it was the discovery of graphite in the late 1700s that introduced the pencil as we know it. Of course, it was a chemist, a Frenchman named Conte, who came up with the right mix of graphite and clay that was perfect for writing, and it was an American named William Monroe, a cabinetmaker in the 19th century, who used his woodworking skills. invent a way to cut wood with enough precision to create something very similar to the modern pencil.

One would think that with the advent of computers and computer accessories like the mouse, email, and things like touch screen technology, it would only be a matter of time before pens and pencils would become obsolete. After all, a lot of ink these days goes into inkjet printer cartridges.

But while half of society moves forward with its digital age, the other half is perfectly happy using pens, pencils, and paper for all of its communications. Could they even be the greatest invention in history? Where would we be without them?