Chalkboard

Chalkboard dates back to the first organized school classroom. Undoubtedly, several 100's of years back. Before then, they used a charcoal stick and made notes on whatever flat surface available. The dilemma was, charcoal doesn't erase, so a fresh writing surface was needed very often. Even before they needed chalk boards, somebody had to invent chalk for the chalk boards. It was determined ground up limestone gave a snow-white powder that could be compressed into a soft white stick that would produce a white line as compared to the black line that a charcoal stick laid down. The best part was that it cleaned off of a smooth stone surface. Then some bright man shaved thin sheets of slate rock, buffed it and the chalkboard was invented. Chalk writing on stone chalkboards was the medium of choice in the classroom for many years, and soon the business community discovered they could advertise on chalkboards, on a regular basis changing their promotional message. Eventually, the old slate blackboards went the way of the dinosaur, making room for new ideas, for example whiteboards using colored white board markers. Today, if you can find a slate chalkboard discarded by a school, you have a very cool keep sake. The chalkboards have made a real comeback in recent years because of their nostalgic look that gives a warm and cozy feeling. food market stores, coffee shops and restaurants, in particular, seem to like the chalkboards, country store type motif. Naturally, the chalk isn't compacted limestone and chalkboards are almost never slate. The majority of today's chalkboards are either a melamine laminate or textured acrylic because they are light weight and durable. The chalk is now a liquid chalk in a marker pen, so the chalk and the chalkboards have survived, but like everything else, they have been modernized for efficiency.

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