1. Between the years 500 and 1500, Europe was considered one of the worst places to be because of the corrupt justice system, violence, and disease, but after year 1500 it became one of the best places to live because of the advancements in technology and innovations.


2. During the Dark Ages, Europe was a very dangerous place to be because the violence within witch hunts, trials, and entertainment.


3. During the Dark Ages, the feudal system was very corrupt, because 90% of people were peasants and worked for the Nobles, and in return the peasants received protection.





4. The legal system was very unfair, because the Nobles would be the only ones to decide if someone was guilty or not, and they would decide with very unethical tests, like drowning someone and if they survive, they are guilty.


5. Many innovations helped Europe transition out of the dark ages, the most successful of them being the gun because it was so powerful and intimidating compared to the common sword that they had been using for many years.

The Pencil.

Everyone uses a pencil in their life. Students just like myself constantly use them in class, and we can all thank the residents from a small village in Cumbia, England for this invention. The villagers discovered graphite when they wondered upon a graphite deposit in the mid 1560’s.
They did not patent the pencil right away; instead they used the graphite to mark sheep and cattle. After that, they started to wrap the graphite in a wood casing, which was more convenient for them to carry around. It wasn’t until the 1700’s for the pencil to be perfected and equipped with an eraser.

Before pencils, people would use miscellaneous items for writing, but the most common was a quill and ink, which was invented in 700 A.D. Life was much more difficult using ink and quill, because people could not carry around them easily, like they can with pencils now. Quill and ink was also more inconvenient because there was no eraser, so they had to be careful not to make mistakes the first time writing, which is difficult because it is human nature to make mistakes. The eraser is what completed the pencil and made it better than a quill and ink. Other than the fact that it was more portable, it had the advantage that if you made a mistake, you could erase it and start over. Pencils are also the cheaper option. 1 pencil today cost around $0.14, while a quill and ink averages out to be around $11.50. Today, we are facing companies going bankrupt, stock market crashes, and a recession. Pencils have help changed our money obsessed world because on average it saves someone $11.35 just to write an essay.
The pencil was the first step to be taken before pens, lined paper, ect. could be invented. Then original pen was invented shortly after the pencil had been perfected, and the ballpoint pen was invented in 1880. These types of inventions stemmed the idea, so in later years, like 1964, the Sharpie could be created.



Recourses:
•Bellis, Mary. "Who Invented the Pen?" Who Invented It. 29 Apr. 2010. Web. 08 Oct. 2011. .
•"Who Invented the Pen?" Who Invented It. 18 Oct. 2008. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. .
•"Sharpie® | About Us." Global Landing. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. .