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A whiteboard (also known by the terms markerboard, dry-erase board, dry-wipe board, pen-board, and the misnomer greaseboard) is any glossy, usually white surface for nonpermanent markings. Whiteboards are analogous to blackboards, but with a smoother surface allowing rapid marking and erasing of markings on their surface. The popularity of whiteboards increased rapidly in the mid-1990s and they have become a fixture in many offices, meeting rooms, school classrooms, and other work environments. The term ''whiteboard'' is also used metaphorically to refer to features of computer software applications that simulate whiteboards. Such "virtual whiteboards" allow one or more people to write or draw images on a simulated canvas. This is a common feature of many virtual meeting, collaboration, and instant messaging applications. The term ''whiteboard'' is also used to refer to interactive whiteboards. == History == There are currently two different accounts of the history of the whiteboard: one from the US and one from the UK, both dating to the late 1950s to early 1960s. The first version has the white board invented by Martin Heit, a photographer and Korean War veteran. The idea was originally developed for having next to a wall phone to take messages down on. During his work with film, he realized that notes could be recorded on film negatives using a marker pen and could be easily wiped off with a damp tissue. Early whiteboards were made out of film laminate, the same glossy finish found on film negatives. A prototype was made and ready to be revealed, when the showcase at the Chicago Merchandise Mart burned down the night before its unveiling. Heit chose to sell the patents to the company that would eventually become Dri-Mark, who began to introduce them into the education world. The second account is that Albert Stallion invented the whiteboards while working at American steel producer Alliance in the 1960s. This can be verified by meeting minutes of Alliance, although these are not in the public domain, and by confirmation by Bill Smit of Smit Visual Supplies BV, who was present at the meeting in question. This account of the history of the whiteboard is as follows: One of the products Alliance produced was enameled steel, which was highly scratch-resistant and easy to clean. It was used for architectural cladding purposes. One day Stallion commented in a board meeting that this product would be a good addition in the market of writing boards, to replace the traditional chalk board in use until that time. His comments were not taken very seriously and, being the entrepreneur he was, he left the company and started his own company, Magiboards, selling enamel steel whiteboards. In the mid-1960s, the first whiteboards began to appear on the market. It took a while before these boards really started to be accepted, not least because the initial boards were wet wipe, as there were no dry markers at that time. In the 1970s, however, marker manufacturers soon saw the potential of such markers and dry wipe whiteboards started to be accepted more readily. The first prototype for a dry wipe whiteboard marker was developed with the assistance of Alasdair Geddes, an assistant of Stallion in 1972. He was not recognised for his contribution until 1998. In classrooms, their widespread adoption did not occur until the early 1990s when concern over allergies and other potential health risks posed by chalk dust prompted the replacement of many blackboards with whiteboards. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Whiteboard」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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