Did You Know? – The Fountain Pen, Part II

The oldest known fountain pen was designed in 1702.  Mary Bellis, Who Invented the Fountain Pen? (thoughtco.com). The fountain pen was patented by a Baltimore shoemaker in the early 1800’s. Id.  In 1883, Lewis Waterman went to sign a contract; however, his fountain pen did not work and leaked all over the page.  He went back to his office for another contract and, in the interim, a competitor closed the deal.  Frustrated, he then perfected the fountain pen.  Id. Perhaps that was an early spoliation issue?  In any event, after his death,  his nephew took over the business increasing sales to 350,000 pens per year.  Id.[1]

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[1] Bellis, Mary. “Who Invented the Fountain Pen?” ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/lewis-waterman-fountain-pen-4077862.