“This site has been designed to visually introduce you to the diverse world of Brand Name Pencils. I believe you will be amazed at the sheer number of pencil brands once produced in the USA and abroad. Sadly those days are over and the craftsmanship once put into the ordinary pencil is but a thing of the past.”

Next week is Constitution Day. On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met one final time to sign the document which is now the world’s longest surviving written charter of government. Round of applause for our founding fathers!

So, in the spirit of Constitutional education, some fun facts for you:

• Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution on December 7, 1787. At this time the population of the U.S. was around 4 million.
• 39 of the 55 delegates signed the Constitution, which was written in under 100 working days in Philadelphia.
• At age 81, Benjamin Franklin was the oldest delegate to sign.
  The Bill of Rights was not added to the Constitution until 1791.
• When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the Constitution was moved from its home at the National Archives to Fort Knox for safekeeping.

Most importantly, the Constitution is the document that established the U.S. government as one filled with checks and balances, to assure that no one branch of government would gain too much power. Designed to be flexible, it can be amended as called for by the changing needs of the nation over time.

http://blog.usa.gov/roller/govgab/entry/constitution_day