h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The 'lead' in pencils is actually graphite and the only way to artificially manufacture it is to vaporize carbon. As this only happens at several thousand degrees centigrade it requires either a volcano or a powerful electric arc. For most of the world's graphite the source of this electric arc is the cheap electricity provided by Niagara Falls, and so this is ultimately the source of most of the world's pencils. Now not a lot of people know that.

Why is the graphite in a pencil called lead?

Because it used to be lead. Graphite leaves a better mark on a piece of paper than lead does.

cool!

Interestingly, it is a little known fact that lead pencils are not the best implement to create dots ........ they tend to leave holes in the paper .... and luckily not on the computer monitor .... have always wondered about graphite though ....... and did you also know Ms Queen of the Pencilly shaped thing, that the hmmmmmmm at your house would be artificially enhanced by the simple addition f a number of dot shaped things .... ususally called dots

I'm afraid I already use dots far too often...sometimes there are more dots than words...actually quite often there are more dots than words.

I was going to wait and see how long this thread got without me saying hello to everyone, but thats probably a bit rude...so...Hello...and thanks for dropping by (although I am curious as to why anyone would drop by...unless you where all searching for pencils (in which case check behind your ear))

I was actually looking for dots ..................

I did not know any of that except for the fact they are NOT lead!
Thanks, fun facts!

I do all my own stunts