The first pens were developed around 3000 B.C. and were made from split reeds. It was not until much later in the 6th century that quills began to be made from goose feathers. These feathers were dried and cleaned and the "nib" was shaped and split with a pen knife. This handmaking process lasted well into the 19th century. Though it was in the 18th century that the first handmade steel nibs began to be produced these generally fit onto a base and functioned along the same lines as the quill and had to be dipped often. The earliest fountain pens were difficult to use properly and did not hold ink well. At that time ink was less refined and in many cases contained sediment, in addition the capillary action required to slowly release ink from the nib was still on the verge of being understood.
By the mid 1800's technology had begun to advance at a pace that allowed fierce competition between penmakers. Alonzo T. Cross and his partner Duncan MacKinnon invented the stylograph in the 1870's. Lewis Edson Waterman began his company in 1884 with fountain pens that used a bladder instead of needing to be dipped.
By the 1920's innovations were appearing constantly. Esterbrook, Eversharp, Parker, Pelikan, Sheaffer, Wearever and many others tried to outdistance each other with new finishes and new feeds. Of course many changes have occured in the world of pens since then! Fountain pens lost popularity with the advent of the ballpoint and rollerball and there has been little change in the mechanism of pens since the invention of the piston filling system. Now fountain pens are becoming popular again with the easy to use cartridges and an interest in the personal touch of a handwritten note.
Source: PenHelp.com
