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Writers rubbed soft white breadcrumbs over paper to erase pencil marks. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

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Mondo Knows Facts

Breadcrumbs were used as pencil erasers before rubber was introduced

Writers rubbed soft white breadcrumbs over paper to erase pencil marks

Prior to the introduction of rubber erasers, artists and writers used rolled pieces of soft white bread to rub out graphite pencil marks. English scientist Edward Nairne accidentally picked up a piece of natural rubber instead of bread in 1770 and discovered its superior erasing properties, leading to commercial rubber eraser production.

Where this comes from

Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Tags: stationery, pencils, history

Breadcrumbs were used as pencil erasers before rubber was introduced: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Writers rubbed soft white breadcrumbs over paper to erase pencil marks. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a everyday life fact?: Yes. It sits on the Everyday Life shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.