Paper today is produced across the world whereby the cellulose pulp (moist fibers) derived from wood, grasses or rags is pressed together and subsequently dried into flexible sheets.

Who invented Paper:

There has been much debate on who invented paper with many theories doing the rounds. One such popular belief was that the paper has its origins in ancient Egypt. This belief took its roots as the word “paper” came from the word “papyrus”, a plant found in abundance in Egypt.

The First known person who invented paper:

As per recorded history and as most commonly acknowledged, paper and the pulp paper-making process were said to be developed in China during the early 2nd century AD by Tsai Lun.

How he made paper:

He is said to be the first to create a thin, flat sheet or tissue primarily from bark, hemp, or rags. In fact, the elements of this ancient Chinese method are still used in modern paper mills. This style of Chinese paper making then spread to the West, Japan, Egypt and Europe, where it is said to have been introduced in Spain around AD 1100.

Modifications in creation process:

By the 1400s paper was being made throughout Europe, but it was three centuries later in the late 1700s that paper was being produced in long, continuous rolls. In 1798 a French paper mill clerk invented a machine that could make a continuous sheet of paper, that too of different sizes and shapes, from wood pulp. This machine was subsequently improved and patented by English paper makers Henry Fourdrinier and Sealy Fourdrinier in 1807. This invention is considered crucial to the development of newspapers.

Man first wrote on rocks, cave walls, wood, stone tablets, clay, tree barks, and several other materials. The invention of paper is undoubtedly a major contribution to man’s evolution from its primitive past to modern civilization. The paper is an imperative part of man’s day-to-day life, be it as a child or as an adult. Even in this modern computer and internet age, we still rely heavily on paper. However, the receding greens and other environmental concerns have created a lobby for `paper-less offices’ and judicious use of paper.

Other than paper-making, the invention of gunpowder, printing and the compass have also been made in ancient China and all of these together are considered as the `Four Great Inventions’ of China.