Paper, like many other things that we use today, was first made in China. In Egypt and the West, paper was not very commonly used before the year 1400. The Chinese still have pieces of paper which were made as long ago as that. But Chinese paper was not made from the wood of trees. It was made from the hair--like parts of certain plants. It was a German who found out that one could make the best paper from trees. After that the forest countries like Canada, Sweden, Norway, Finland and the United States became the most important in paper making. |