The accidental discovery of Lithography

A lithograph of Senefelder
taken from Specimens of Polyautography

Lithography was discovered by a playwright in Germany
Merely by chance, however, as it happened accidentally
Alois Senefelder was the gentleman's name
Greasy crayons and limestone are what gave him his fame
Realising that if he wrote a script on a limestone slab
With a greasy crayon, which must have seemed mad
He'd be able to make more than one print
If he applied the use of some rolled-on ink
Thus a new publishing method came to life
And the copying of art soon became rife
This all occurred in 1796
And without it only originals would exist