No.2 Pencil Represents Childhood and Education.

The No. 2 pencil means childhood for many Americans. It helps children learn to write and take school tests.

Pencils were not made first in the United States. But Americans made the yellow pencil with an eraser popular.

John Thoreau, a writer's father, made pencils in the 1800s. He helped create the No. 2 grade for good writing.

The metal part holding the eraser is also an American idea. This ferrule has been used on pencils for over one hundred years.

Today, people use computers more than pencils for schoolwork. But pencils are still used for important handwritten tests sometimes.