What year was the modern pencil sharpener invented?

A pencil sharpener (also referred to in Ireland as a parer or topper) is a device for sharpening a pencil's writing point by shaving away its worn surface. Pencil sharpeners may be operated manually or by an electric motor. It is common for many sharpeners to have a casing around them, which can be removed for emptying the pencil shavings debris into a trash bin.

French mathematician Bernard Lassimonne applied for the first patent (French patent #2444) on pencil sharpeners in 1828, but it was not until 1847 that the pencil sharpener in its recognizable modern form was invented by fellow Frenchman Thierry des Estivaux. The first American pencil sharpener was patented by Walter K. Foster of Bangor, Maine in 1855. Electric pencil sharpeners for offices have been made since at least 1917.

Before the development of dedicated pencil sharpeners, a pencil was sharpened by whittling it with a knife. Pencil sharpeners made this task much easier and gave a more uniform result. Some specialized types of pencils, such as carpenter's pencils are still usually sharpened with a knife, due to their flat shape, though since the 2000's a fixed-blade device with a rotatable collar has become available.

More Info: en.m.wikipedia.org

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5 Comments

Phil Kennelty

If it was invented in 1847, it was for old-fashioned pencils, not modern pencils. Just sayin'

fdeisner

In 1828, French mathematician Bernard Lassimonne patented the first pencil sharpener. This sharpener had small metal files set at 90 degrees in a block of wood and it grinded the edges of the pencil’s tip. This method wasn’t any faster or easier than sharpening with a knife, so it didn’t become popular. Thierry des Estivaux, also from France, improved this design and made a sharpener that had one blade in a conical housing - a design that we still use today and call a “prism sharpener”. Next improvement came from the other side of the Atlantic in 1851, from a man called Walter K. Foster. He improved Estivaux’s design so it can be mass-produced.

Ken Jackson

I always used a penknife at school - much easier, quicker and could get the point I wanted.

Phyllis Ollar Goodwin

I was trying to decide between 1889 and 1903... thinking it was close to the turn of the century. Also, thinking it was an American patent. Wrong on all counts, but I learned a couple of new things. That's always good.