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Setting the scene
Binney & Smith, an industrial pigment company in Easton, Pennsylvania, had supplied red oxide for barn paint and carbon black for tires before targeting school markets with dustless chalk. Their wife Alice Binney coined the name Crayola from the French craie (chalk) and ola (oleaginous).
What happened
The first box of Crayola crayons went on sale in 1903 with eight colors—black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, violet, and yellow—priced at a nickel. The wax sticks were stronger and brighter than European imports, marketed as safe for children.
Why it still matters
Crayola later expanded to 64, 96, and 120-count boxes, retired colors, and named shades through public contests. Memorable detail: the 1903 box included no sharpener; the built-in sharpener did not appear on the iconic 64-count box until 1958.
Background
The company later named colors like Macaroni and Cheese.