Bread Erased Mistakes Before Rubber

For centuries before rubber erasers appeared, artists and writers removed pencil marks with rolled-up pieces of crustless white bread. In 1770, an English optician named Edward Nairne reportedly discovered rubber's erasing ability after accidentally picking up rubber instead of breadcrumbs. He began selling natural rubber erasers for three shillings per half-inch cube, although the material remained perishable until Charles Goodyear developed vulcanization in 1839.

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