Before 1894, pencils sharpeners were big and heavy, so carrying it about was a big issue. Some were mounted on the walls of a class room, while some were placed on the desk, despite the fact that these old school revolving sharpeners looked super cool and perplexing, they were cumbersome. A travelling writer or student couldn't carry it about.
African-American inventor John Lee Love changed the way we see pencil sharpeners in 1894 when he invented the "Love Sharpener," the portable hand wrenched sharpener that peppers a lot of student's backpacks right up till the present day.
According to history, John Lee Love was a black American carpenter and inventor. He was best known all over the world for inventing a portable pencil sharpener known as the "Love Sharpener", named after him.
Little is known about the childhood life of John Lee Love, the innovator of the portable pencil sharpener. It is estimated that he was born some time amid the recreation time frame between 1865 to 1877. Love in his later days worked as a carpenter in the community of Fall River, Massachusetts.
He applied for a patent for a portable pencil sharpener in 1897. His application determined that his invention was an "enhanced gadget" that could serve as a paperweight or trimming. The design was straightforward, including a hand wrench and a compartment to catch the pencil shavings. In John Lee Love's creation, the pencil is put into the opening of the sharpener and pivoted by hand. It was referred to conversationally as the "Love Sharpener."
The sharpener has been in constant use since it was first produced. In spite of the fact that we've since seen the electric sharpener become an integral factor, the Love Sharpener stays applicable for its conveyability and simplicity. Anybody can convey this tiny tool in their pocket or their backpack. Love's sharpener was patented on November 23, 1897 and till date, it is still the most popular and most utilized everywhere throughout the world.
The unique thing about this tiny tool called Love Sharpener is that it can be incorporated with any kind of packaging; the Love Sharpener can be spruced up and elegant, rough, or smooth and basic, depending on how one chooses to manufacture the sharpener's packaging.
The pencil sharpener was not John Lee Love's first invention, in 1895, he made and patented an improved plasterer's hawk, used by plasterers and bricklayers. Love's design included a separable handle and a foldable aluminum board, making it convenient and lightweight. Be that as it may, the pencil sharpener was Love's best and most successful invention.
Unfortunately, Love sudden death took place on December 26, 1931, he died alongside nine other travelers, when the car they were traveling in collided with a train close to Charlotte, North Carolina.
But all the same, his creation since 1895 is still popularly utilized by kids to enhance writing and also equally used by artists to enhance drawing. Next time you're sharpening your pencil, pause for a minute to acknowledge John Lee Love's work, for he was the one that made it feasible for sharpeners to be conveyed about in pockets and backpacks.
Image source: 2, 3, 5, 6.
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