5 facts about stationery: myths and history of inventions

SSPDaily has prepared five facts about stationery. Find out the interesting background of various inventions.

Stationery in space

In the field of space exploration, there was a fascinating story about the rivalry between American and Soviet engineers. According to this story, the American government invested millions of dollars in developing a pen that could be used to write in space. The clever Soviet cosmonauts, on the other hand, made do with simple pencils.

However, this story is not true. The first pen capable of working in space was invented by Paul Fisher, who offered it to NASA at an incredibly affordable price of only $6. As a result, the USSR adopted Fisher's innovative pen.

A real catalyst for progress

As with the "space pen," the first ballpoint pen was born out of necessity. It was originally developed by the Royal Air Force to solve the problem of leaks that occur at high altitudes.

Previous models of pens could not cope with the low atmospheric pressure in the cockpit, which caused pilots a lot of inconvenience. The invention of the ballpoint pen completely changed the situation and within a few months it gained immense popularity among ordinary consumers in England and the United States.

Unexpected failure of marketers

In the 1990s, the number of drug dealers in New York City increased significantly. In response to this acute problem, an anti-drug campaign was launched targeting schools. Marketers came up with the slogan "You're too cool to do drugs," which was printed on school pencils.

However, they missed one feature of pencils - they shrink in size over time due to constant sharpening. As a result, the only message left on them was "Do drugs".

Guess the color

The quality of paper is determined not only by its strength but also by its color. The whiteness of paper has become a competitive advantage for manufacturing companies. It is interesting that paper acquired a white hue only in the XVIII century.

This transformation was due to the discovery of a new chemical element, chlorine. Before that, paper was usually produced with brownish-gray shades, which negatively affected people's eyesight.

Fold a piece of paper

Most of us are familiar with the idea that a piece of paper can be folded no more than seven times. However, in 2001, an American schoolgirl named Brittney Gallivan managed to break this belief by folding a piece of paper an impressive 12 times.

This amazing feat was recognized when it was tested in the popular American TV program Mythbusters. The hosts managed to fold a massive sheet of paper, equivalent to the size of a football field, an astonishing 11 times, debunking an ancient myth.