How did the Paper Mate Ballpen come to be? Read on… In 1943 the Biro brothers set up a ball pen manufacturing plant in Argentina. Their first design failed because it relied on gravity to feed the ball. Their second design was much more successful, using capillary attraction for the ink flow. While better, this design also failed in the marketplace, mainly due to problems with the ink. Eventually they closed up shop. The rights …
You ask, “Why include Remmie LeRoy Arnold running for Governor of Virginia in a fountain pen blog?” Well, read on, by the second paragraph you will know. Read more and I’m sure you’ll say to yourself, “Wow, what a guy!” The following is from the Virginia Chronicle Recorder, November 26, 1948. “Highlights in the Life of Remmie Leßoy Arnold. A biographical sketch of the life of Remmie Leßoy Arnold, who has announced himself as a candidate …
Bruno’s Pen and Pencil was located on “Steak Row” in New York City, at 205 East 45th Street between Lexington and 1st Avenues. Nearby were other steak restaurants, three of which were opened by former Bruno employees: The Pressbox, The Editorial and Danny’s Hideaway. Others included the Fourth Estate, Late Edition and Front Page. Why called the “PEN and PENCIL?” The area was literally flooded with journalists, …
Taken to the Moon in 1969 During the first NASA missions the astronauts used pencils. For Project Gemini, for example, NASA ordered mechanical pencils in 1965 from Tycam Engineering Manufacturing, Inc., in Houston. The fixed price contract purchased 34 units at a total cost of $4,382.50, or $128.89 per unit. That created something of a controversy at the time, as many people believed it was a frivolous expense. NASA backtracked immediately and equipped the astronauts …
