Chalkboards are a very common everyday item, not only do you find them at school or in college, but also in the workplace, in cafes, bars and restaurants and pubs. But how much do you actually know about where the chalkboard came from in our history?

The earliest use of chalkboards on record was 1801 in America. They were used in military schools to educate soldiers and highlight the lesson for everyone to see. But they weren't called blackboards until 1820 and they weren't called chalkboards until even later in 1935 as it is more of an American term.

The blackboard was first invented in the UK when a geography teacher in Scotland took the slates away from his students and fixed them to the wall instead. Creating a centralised place where the less plan could be put. This saved vast amounts of time because until then the teacher would have had to write out each individual's lesson on their slate.
Ever since then, chalkboards have come into common use. Even in these modern days, blackboards are still used in many classrooms with some teachers preferring to use them over whiteboards. You can even buy boards that are half chalkboard and half whiteboard.

There are a range of chalkboards available nowadays. Pubs in particular are famed for using chalkboards both inside and out. A frame blackboards are great for using outside a pub to display the latest deals or drinks on offer. They help to pull punters in off the street. You can also buy table top chalkboards that you can write out menus on for your pub or restaurant. Or you can just stick to a normal wall blackboard for writing out your bar menu and events coming up.
Finally, chalk is actually no longer used to make the chalks we use on blackboards. They are now made from gypsum – a naturally occurring crystal – as it is far safer and cheaper to make. You can also buy liquid chalks that act more like whiteboard markers. These are very popular with bars and restaurants and you can create very classy and eye-catching designs for your chalkboard.