The first boxes of eight Crayola crayons were produced by Edwin Binney, along with his cousin C. Harold Smith, in 1903. The factory was in Easton, Pennsylvania. The price for a box of eight crayons was five cents. Binney's London-born wife, Alice Stead Binney, created the name "Crayola" from the French word craie (chalk) and "ola" (oleaginous, oily), since the crayons were produced from a petroleum-based wax. The eight original colors were black, brown, blue, red, purple, orange, yellow, and green. Today, there are more than 120 colors produced by Crayola, including some that sparkle, glow in the dark, and wash off of walls.

Actually, Binney did not invent the crayon, he merely invented an improved crayon. Crayons had been invented earlier in Europe and were basically a mixture of charcoal and oil. Binney's contribution was to produce a better quality crayon that was nontoxic and affordable and to market it as a toy for children.

By 1920, Crayola products had expanded to include special crayons for art students and fine art crayons that could be sharpened. In 1948, the company began providing in-school training for art teachers across the nation. In 1958, the first box of sixty-four crayons was marketed. The box even had a built-in sharpener. In 1978, the company's product line expanded to include Crayola markers, and in 1987 washable markers were introduced. In 1990, eight crayon colors were retired into the Crayola Hall of Fame; these were maize, raw umber, lemon yellow, blue gray, orange yellow, orange red, green blue, and violet blue. However, a year later, those retired colors were offered in a special collectors' edition.

The company's ninetieth birthday celebration in 1993 included the introduction of the company's largest crayon box ever, ninety-six colors. The 100 billionth Crayola crayon was produced in 1996, and this number continues to increase by more than 13.5 million every day. The company's best seller is the box of twenty-four crayons--a quantity that provides adequate variety, but at a reasonable price.

Binney & Smith changed its name to Crayola in 2007. The Crayola brand name has 99 percent name recognition among American consumers. The scent of crayons, according to studies, is one of the most recognizable scents to the American people. Crayolas are sold in over eighty countries and are packaged in boxes written in twelve languages. The invention of Edwin Binney has transformed the way the world looks at art and has made it economically possible for every child to be a budding artist. Many of the world's great artists of the past century likely started their career with a box of wax crayons from Binney & Smith. For example, American Gothic artist Grant Wood began his career with a Crayola contest. Wood later stated that by winning the Crayola contest, he was given the confidence and encouragement to pursue a career in the art world.

Free term papers are not written to satisfy your specific instructions. You can use our professional writing services to buy a custom written research paper, term paper, or essay on Culture at affordable price. CustomTermPapers is the best solution for those who seek help in writing term papers, essays, and research papers related to Culture and other relevant topics.