National Rubber Eraser Day

It's okay to make a mistake. National Rubber Eraser Day, April 15th, commemorates the date the invention first made written errors since 1770.

Before rubber erasers were invented, rubber tablets of rubber (or wax) were used to erase lead or charcoal marks from paper. Crustless bread was another alternative for the eraser. "Bread erasers were used in place of rubber erasers in place of rubber erasers," a Tokyo student said, "and so they would give them to us with no limit on the number." We didn't know we'd be able to satisfy our hunger by taking these and eating a solid part.

Joseph Priestly invented a vegetable gum to erase pencil marks from pencil marks on April 15, 1770. He referred to the substance as "rubber"
Edward Nairne invented the first commercial rubber eraser in 1770
Charles Goodyear invented vulcanization (a process that will cure rubber and make it a durable material) in 1839. This process made rubber erasers standard
Hyman Lipman (Philadelphia, Pa.) patented the pencil with an eraser at the end, which was patented by 1858

We all make mistakes when holding a pencil in our hand, but we can now erase those mistakes from our notebooks many years ago.

How to celebrate #nationalrubbereraserday in #nationalrubbereraserday

Erase that mistake
Buy a set of erasers
Give students, teachers, or co-workers some erasers
Share your new eraser
Make a video or photograph of some of the mistakes you've fixed
To post on social media, use #NationalRubberEraserDay

National rubber eraser day history is the first national rubber eraser day in history

The rubber eraser's invention is marked on April 15, 1770, 1770. We were unable to locate the maker of National Rubber Eraser Day, but our investigation was unsuccessful.

Eraser FAQ

Q. How large is the world's biggest eraser collection? According to Guinness World Records, the world's biggest eraser collection contains 19,571 erasers. Petra Engles of Germany, a collector, has been collecting erasers for more than 25 years.

Why are there so many pink erasers?

A. Pumice is one of eraser's main ingredients. Pumice was mainly pink or red, depending on the type of pumice used. When the Eberhard Faber Pencil Company introduced the signature pink eraser to its pencils, it took the pink eraser to the world. The pink pearl, a rectangular eraser that is still made today, was produced by the company later.

Q. Are all erasers pink? Is all erasers pink?

A. No. A. No. A. No. Erasers come in about every shade under the sun.

Q. Is erasers intended for another function than, well, erasing?

A. They sure do! Have you ever lost the back to your ear earing? Slide a small piece of an eraser into the post and slide it onto the page. At least until you can replace the back, your earing will remain in place.

The following are other common uses for erasers::