Crayola Creators: Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith
Contents All in the Family Binney Smith A Brand-New Market 4 6 8 The Art of Listening 10 The Crayola Crayon Is Born Life of a Crayon Binney Smith on the Road 12 14 16 A Great Partnership 18 Making a Difference 20 Crayola Keeps on Coloring A Classic Toy A Bright Green Future 22 24 26 Timeline 28 Glossary 30 Websites 31 Index 32
Chapter 1 All inAll in THE FAMILY THE FAMILY THE FAMILY THE FAMILY THE FAMILY How did a small charcoal business lead to one of the most successful toys ever The formula was a mix of opportunity teamwork and color The result was the Crayola crayon Its creators Harold Smith and Edwin Binney were cousins But the Crayola story really begins with Edwin’s father Joseph Joseph W Binney was born in England on December 6 1836 In the 1800s many people were moving to the United States It was known as The Land of Opportunity Joseph immigrated to the United States in 1860 Joseph’s sister Eliza decided to stay in England That same year she had a son His name was C Harold Smith In 1864 Joseph founded a factory near Peekskill New York It was called Peekskill Chemical Works The company packaged hardwood charcoal which was used for heating fuel It also manufactured lampblack from soot and whale oil Lampblack was used in everything from ink to shoe polish 4
Peekskill New York was one of the country’s early industrial centers Joseph soon met and married Annie Eliza Conklin They had eight children together Their son Edwin was born on November 24 1866 He attended public schools in Peekskill and New York City Meanwhile C Harold Smith spent his teenage years in New Zealand Then in 1878 he moved to the United States Together Edwin and Harold would make the world come alive with color 5
