May 14, 2014
1972: Scantron.
This is a Marketplace.org Reader
A test-grading Get Out of Jail Free card for teachers. Students fill in the little ovals on multiple-choices tests. A scanning machine measures the amount of light passing through a sheet, and voila the test is marked. Once cheap Scantrons made their way into classrooms, automated testing became a school room standard. The tests also gave the No.2 pencil a place in history.