31st March: Crayola Crayon Day

Each year, on March 31st children and adults alike, pick up their favorite colors for Crayola Crayon Day. Opening up a box of crayons opens up a world of imagination and hours of fun. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet…no, we’re not talking about a rainbow, but rather just some of the 400 different shades of crayon colors Crayola has produced since 1903. Wax and chalk-based crayons have been used by artists around the world for centuries. Edwin Binney created the brightly colored crayons we are familiar with today. He was part owner of Binney & Smith, a company that produced products such as paint, pigments, and slate pencils for schools. In 1903, Binney & Smith created the Crayola Division and produced colored wax crayons for children for the first time. Then in 1904, they presented their An-Du-Septic chalk at the Colombian Exposition in St. Louis winning a gold medal. The chalk was designed to be dustless at many teachers’ requests and was an immediate success.