* 1910: American inventor John O. Gratiot patents the first electric pencil sharpener.
* 1917: Gratiot's company, the Automatic Pencil Sharpener Company, begins manufacturing electric pencil sharpeners.
1920s: Electric Pencil Sharpeners Become More Popular
* 1920s: Electric pencil sharpeners become popular in offices and schools.
* 1929: The Boston Pencil Sharpener Company introduces the first portable electric pencil sharpener.
1930s: Improvements in Electric Pencil Sharpeners
* 1930s: Electric pencil sharpeners become more affordable and easier to use.
* 1932: The Staedtler company introduces the first electric pencil sharpener with a safety feature.
1940s-1970s: Continued Popularity of Electric Pencil Sharpeners
* 1940s-1970s: Electric pencil sharpeners remain popular in offices and schools.
* 1950s: The X-Acto company introduces the first electric pencil sharpener with a built-in sharpener cleaner.
1980s-Present: Decline in the Use of Electric Pencil Sharpeners
* 1980s-Present: The use of electric pencil sharpeners declines as mechanical pencils become more popular.
* 1990s: Battery-operated electric pencil sharpeners are introduced.
* 2000s: Electric pencil sharpeners with automatic stop features are introduced.
Today, electric pencil sharpeners are still used in some offices and schools, but they are not as common as they once were. Mechanical pencils have become the more popular choice for writing and drawing.