What year were crayons invented?

Modern Crayola crayons were invented in 1902 by Binney & Smith, and they were first sold to the general public a year later. Although it is not known exactly when the first crayons were invented, earlier versions were made from oil and charcoal rather than wax.

The Crayola crayon came about after Alice Binney, the wife of Crayola's co-founder, suggested the company create an alternative to expensive crayons that had to be imported from Europe. Today, crayons are made from a mixture of color pigment and paraffin wax, after discovering that using wax instead of oil resulted in a more sturdy crayon stick.