"T" is for Toothpick - Alphabe Thursday, 6-3-10

"T" Is For Toothpick

I imagine you, like me, have taken toothpicks for granted.  These tiny little sticks, made of wood, plastic, bone, metal, and bamboo ( for the most part ) are a multimillion dollar industry ( try

something in the neighborhood of $24 billion! ). 

Man has been using an implement to remove food from his teeth since the time of the Neanderthals.  All cultures have used this tool which is the oldest method of dental cleaning.

While modern toothpicks are not made of silver, bronze or encrusted with jewels as in the past, they still serve the same purpose - though dentists now prefer brushing and flossing to the use of toothpicks.

In 1869, four years after the end of the Civil War, Charles Forster, with the help of an inventor, developed a machine to mass produce the toothpick. Birch was the wood chosen and millions of toothpicks were produced annually.  Today, only one Minnesota factory in the U. S. still makes toothpicks.  Most others come from Brazil or Asia.  

Besides being used to clean teeth, toothpicks have long been used to secure canapes or party 

tidbits.  

One man, however, has taken the lowly toothpick to artistic proportion.  Stan Munro has created an entire city of the world's most famous landmarks using toothpicks.  He began this hobby as a boy and gave his art away.  Today, there are a number of such artists who create magic out of the lowly toothpick that we so often take for granted! 

References: 
http://american.com/archive/2007/november-december-magazine-contents/the-glorious-toothpick

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toothpick

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