What is 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