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by oakashes 804 days ago
It didn't make any sense to me either. I found this article[1] which frames it a little more clearly: it's not that they thought graphite and lead were the exact same thing, it's that they thought graphite was just a particular type of lead that was useful for drawing when first discovered.

1: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/ever-wonde...