1 00:00:00,190 --> 00:00:27,820 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to 2 00:00:27,860 --> 00:00:33,559 Speaker 1: the show, fellow ridiculous historians. Get your writing instruments out 3 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:39,240 Speaker 1: for this one. Yeah, please do. Please do write this down. 4 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:44,530 Speaker 1: We thank our super producer, Max the Freight Train Williams. 5 00:00:45,850 --> 00:00:48,729 Speaker 1: What do you think, Noel? Calligraphy Williams? 6 00:00:48,870 --> 00:00:51,430 Speaker 2: I was going to say, Max, the pen is mightier 7 00:00:51,830 --> 00:00:53,589 Speaker 2: than the sword, William. 8 00:00:54,700 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 1: I like how you're leaning into the W on SWORD. 9 00:00:59,370 --> 00:01:04,250 Speaker 1: That's none other than Noel Brown. They call me Ben Bolin. 10 00:01:04,590 --> 00:01:09,190 Speaker 1: And Noel, you and I are very excited to explore 11 00:01:09,270 --> 00:01:11,870 Speaker 1: the history of the Fountain Pen. 12 00:01:12,390 --> 00:01:17,709 Speaker 2: That's true. We are. And what a fascinating history it is. 13 00:01:17,730 --> 00:01:21,470 Speaker 2: We're going to go from quills to pilots and every 14 00:01:21,650 --> 00:01:22,569 Speaker 2: place in between. 15 00:01:22,590 --> 00:01:23,950 Speaker 1: The Superior Pen. 16 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:27,179 Speaker 2: Oh, I don't know about that one. All right. 17 00:01:27,500 --> 00:01:34,970 Speaker 1: So our research associate, Ames, taught us a lot of this. And, Noel, 18 00:01:35,110 --> 00:01:38,830 Speaker 1: I just love the way they kick us off here. 19 00:01:38,970 --> 00:01:42,690 Speaker 1: Can you give us the gist? 20 00:01:43,150 --> 00:01:48,220 Speaker 2: Well, in a world. Where every dentist, dog groomer, and 21 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:51,419 Speaker 2: life coach has personalized pens by the thousands. You're not 22 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 2: supposed to take them, though. You're supposed to give them back. 23 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 2: But we all know how that works. Who owns a pen? 24 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: Who owns a lighter? 25 00:01:57,420 --> 00:02:00,330 Speaker 2: It's like a lighter, right? It's hard to imagine what 26 00:02:00,410 --> 00:02:03,690 Speaker 2: came before. And I mentioned a bit of a continuum 27 00:02:04,010 --> 00:02:07,970 Speaker 2: from quills to dip pens and finally to the humble 28 00:02:08,070 --> 00:02:10,429 Speaker 2: or not so humble, depending, because they can get a 29 00:02:10,450 --> 00:02:14,609 Speaker 2: little pricey, fountain pens. the more elegant predecessor to the 30 00:02:14,730 --> 00:02:20,900 Speaker 2: ubiquitous rollerball, not the fight to the death sci-fi future sport, 31 00:02:21,700 --> 00:02:23,740 Speaker 2: but the one rattling around in just about every junk 32 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:28,620 Speaker 2: drawer across the planet. From scratchy to sophistication, we're going 33 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:31,859 Speaker 2: to examine the evolution of the fountain pen and where 34 00:02:31,900 --> 00:02:34,340 Speaker 2: it stands today, culturally speaking. 35 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:42,030 Speaker 3: Ah, yes. 36 00:02:43,090 --> 00:02:48,350 Speaker 1: So this is the wild thing. When you are using 37 00:02:48,389 --> 00:02:53,410 Speaker 1: a pen at your ordinary day-to-day life in any sort 38 00:02:53,660 --> 00:02:58,120 Speaker 1: of office situation, you are probably working with what we 39 00:02:58,180 --> 00:03:03,260 Speaker 1: call a rollerball pen. That is economy of scale. That's 40 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:09,540 Speaker 1: a reason these pens are so easily available, so often 41 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:16,679 Speaker 1: stolen and given. But back in the day, writing was crazy. 42 00:03:16,980 --> 00:03:21,320 Speaker 1: The idea of writing was like sorcery, and writing with 43 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:26,019 Speaker 1: ink was super tedious. And as you kind of teased, 44 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: not tediously, Noel, in ancient Egypt, reed pens were crafted 45 00:03:33,540 --> 00:03:37,430 Speaker 1: from a literal reed straw. 46 00:03:37,510 --> 00:03:40,250 Speaker 2: Yeah, the same thing that ninjas would often use to 47 00:03:40,330 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 2: breathe through when they're approaching a fort to storm. Reed straws, 48 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 2: or bamboo in some cases, they would be shaped into 49 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:50,860 Speaker 2: a square point at one end, a term that will 50 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 2: continue on in the evolution that we're going to talk about, 51 00:03:53,300 --> 00:03:56,200 Speaker 2: called the nib, and then split down the middle. The 52 00:03:56,260 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 2: nib would then be dipped into ink and used for 53 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:04,010 Speaker 2: writing on Papyrus, not in papyrus, the font, the much 54 00:04:04,060 --> 00:04:08,060 Speaker 2: maligned font, though usually not for super long because these 55 00:04:08,140 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 2: things would lose their points. very, very quickly and had 56 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 2: to be replaced pretty frequently. Following the reed pen was 57 00:04:16,339 --> 00:04:18,180 Speaker 2: the quill pen. And Ben, you and I both went 58 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:21,800 Speaker 2: to an event some years back at La France's Tavern 59 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:25,750 Speaker 2: in New York City, one of the oldest taverns in 60 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:28,110 Speaker 2: the world, or in the country, I want to say. 61 00:04:28,370 --> 00:04:29,310 Speaker 1: In the United States. 62 00:04:29,330 --> 00:04:31,230 Speaker 2: The United States, that's right, where signers of the Declaration 63 00:04:31,250 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 2: of Independence would kick it. smoky back rooms and we 64 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:37,060 Speaker 2: went to a literary uh launch party for our buddy 65 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 2: aj bahamas jacobs the puzzler for his book the year 66 00:04:41,100 --> 00:04:44,169 Speaker 2: of living constitutionally and the swag bag that was passed 67 00:04:44,260 --> 00:04:47,210 Speaker 2: out to all the guests included a quill and a 68 00:04:47,250 --> 00:04:50,190 Speaker 2: little pot of ink and if i'm not mistaken it 69 00:04:50,230 --> 00:04:54,530 Speaker 2: was like powdered ink that was very accurate period accurate you. 70 00:04:54,510 --> 00:04:59,310 Speaker 1: Are not mistaken That was amazing, and we do stand 71 00:04:59,750 --> 00:05:06,030 Speaker 1: for A.J. Bahamas Jacobs, as people will say. We had 72 00:05:06,270 --> 00:05:11,729 Speaker 1: a phenomenal time there because we were learning about calligraphy 73 00:05:12,070 --> 00:05:16,550 Speaker 1: and writing technology. If we go to our friends at 74 00:05:16,589 --> 00:05:21,840 Speaker 1: the Britannica, we will see that a reed pen is 75 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:26,330 Speaker 1: followed by the quill. A hollow, horny barrel of a 76 00:05:26,450 --> 00:05:31,589 Speaker 1: bird's feather used as a principal writing instrument from the 77 00:05:32,350 --> 00:05:39,039 Speaker 1: 6th century CE until the mid-1800s. That's correct. 78 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:45,020 Speaker 2: The strongest quills were obtained from living birds because in 79 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:49,200 Speaker 2: their new growth periods in the spring, they would be 80 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:54,060 Speaker 2: shedding these outer wing feathers or follicles. and they were 81 00:05:54,110 --> 00:05:58,589 Speaker 2: considered the most suitable for the task of writing. The 82 00:05:58,630 --> 00:06:02,789 Speaker 2: second and third were particularly preferred. Quills from the left 83 00:06:02,870 --> 00:06:06,909 Speaker 2: wing were even more preferred because the feathers curved outward 84 00:06:06,930 --> 00:06:12,870 Speaker 2: and away from the more, you know, common right-handed writers. 85 00:06:13,550 --> 00:06:13,850 Speaker 3: Sure. 86 00:06:14,310 --> 00:06:20,010 Speaker 1: And also, everybody check this out. There is a preposterous 87 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:26,300 Speaker 1: amount of left-handed U.S. presidents. Do with that what you will. 88 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:31,750 Speaker 1: These quills are used from the 6th century, again, to 89 00:06:31,770 --> 00:06:38,570 Speaker 1: the 1800s, and they were not fancy calligraphic stuff. They 90 00:06:38,610 --> 00:06:43,330 Speaker 1: were used for writing whatever you had to write down 91 00:06:43,650 --> 00:06:46,890 Speaker 1: at the time, stuff like the Magna Carta or the 92 00:06:47,050 --> 00:06:49,650 Speaker 1: Declaration of Independence from earlier. 93 00:06:49,670 --> 00:06:55,940 Speaker 2: The old John Hancock was signed with that particular type 94 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:56,779 Speaker 2: of writing implement. 95 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:02,380 Speaker 1: Classic John, right? This is an improvement over the reed pen, 96 00:07:02,940 --> 00:07:08,460 Speaker 1: but the quill has these design flaws, as we already teased. 97 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:15,570 Speaker 1: Imagine you are writing a beautiful poem about to someone 98 00:07:15,610 --> 00:07:18,670 Speaker 1: you are very in love with. Maybe it's a person, 99 00:07:18,950 --> 00:07:25,430 Speaker 1: maybe it's America. You get about five words in and 100 00:07:25,490 --> 00:07:29,390 Speaker 1: you gotta dip your stuff in the ink. Yeah, you 101 00:07:29,410 --> 00:07:32,790 Speaker 1: gotta dip your nib in the ink and then you 102 00:07:32,810 --> 00:07:36,600 Speaker 1: have to hope you don't spill it before you write it. 103 00:07:37,610 --> 00:07:41,290 Speaker 1: This was a huge problem back in the day and 104 00:07:41,430 --> 00:07:47,640 Speaker 1: quite ridiculous, thankfully. We have a solution, the fountain pen. 105 00:07:47,980 --> 00:07:50,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, and maybe if anyone out there is thinking, why 106 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:54,900 Speaker 2: are you glossing over Japan and all of their incredible contributions? 107 00:07:54,940 --> 00:07:55,720 Speaker 2: The hanku, right? 108 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:56,260 Speaker 3: The stamp. 109 00:07:56,560 --> 00:08:00,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, that, but also, I mean, their incredible contributions 110 00:08:00,260 --> 00:08:04,030 Speaker 2: to calligraphy. But they used brushes, if I'm not mistaken, 111 00:08:04,110 --> 00:08:07,110 Speaker 2: for that task. I don't think they were in the 112 00:08:07,150 --> 00:08:08,470 Speaker 2: pen universe. 113 00:08:09,030 --> 00:08:16,290 Speaker 1: Sumi-e, right? Mm-hmm. Also, yes, this is pretty Western-centric because 114 00:08:16,390 --> 00:08:22,410 Speaker 1: we're looking at a mechanism, a ridiculous mechanism. Noel, when's 115 00:08:22,810 --> 00:08:25,790 Speaker 1: the last time you wrote with a quill? 116 00:08:25,990 --> 00:08:27,770 Speaker 2: I was going to say, I barely remember the last 117 00:08:27,810 --> 00:08:32,090 Speaker 2: time I wrote with my hand, Ben. We have kind of— What? What? 118 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:57,200 Speaker 2: every day. Yeah, man, it's the muscles kind of atrophy. 119 00:08:57,760 --> 00:08:59,220 Speaker 2: But no, I don't believe, I don't know that I've 120 00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:01,800 Speaker 2: ever written with a quill. The one that we got 121 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:04,720 Speaker 2: from Bahamas, I just, you know, kept that as a souvenir, 122 00:09:04,740 --> 00:09:06,179 Speaker 2: but I did not attempt to write with it. How 123 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:06,500 Speaker 2: about you? 124 00:09:07,140 --> 00:09:13,390 Speaker 1: Oh, you know, I am cartoonish, Noel. I'll tell you this. 125 00:09:13,809 --> 00:09:19,709 Speaker 1: I don't enjoy fountain pens for the exact same reason 126 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:27,330 Speaker 1: that rollerball pens exist. The Pilot V5 or V7 is 127 00:09:27,429 --> 00:09:33,750 Speaker 1: probably my favorite writing instrument. But look, let's imagine we 128 00:09:33,910 --> 00:09:39,370 Speaker 1: are back in olden times and we have our quill, right? 129 00:09:39,990 --> 00:09:44,040 Speaker 1: And we have to dip it in the ink and 130 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:49,460 Speaker 1: hope we don't mess up. And we're Leonardo da Vinci. 131 00:09:50,040 --> 00:09:55,170 Speaker 1: At this point, you know, that's one of our earliest examples. 132 00:09:55,730 --> 00:09:59,970 Speaker 2: For sure. Leonardo da Vinci, known for being an incredible artist. 133 00:10:00,179 --> 00:10:03,620 Speaker 2: and inventor, a sketcher. Uh, what is it? The, uh, 134 00:10:04,130 --> 00:10:05,589 Speaker 2: what was it called? Am I, am I thinking of 135 00:10:05,650 --> 00:10:08,429 Speaker 2: the da Vinci do the man that's played out? Uh, 136 00:10:09,780 --> 00:10:11,800 Speaker 2: That's the one. Wasn't that him or was that Michelangelo? 137 00:10:11,820 --> 00:10:13,160 Speaker 2: That was Da Vinci, right? 138 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:14,360 Speaker 1: That's Da Vinci. 139 00:10:14,420 --> 00:10:16,059 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah. That's what we're talking about. So he was 140 00:10:16,140 --> 00:10:20,479 Speaker 2: a big sketcher and he would draw plans and schematics 141 00:10:20,540 --> 00:10:23,540 Speaker 2: and things like that. So yeah, it was discovered through 142 00:10:23,580 --> 00:10:27,300 Speaker 2: analysis of his handwriting that his ink flow remained consistent 143 00:10:27,660 --> 00:10:30,780 Speaker 2: rather than fading away as the quill does. And a 144 00:10:30,820 --> 00:10:33,360 Speaker 2: lot of those sketches that I was talking about appeared 145 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:37,860 Speaker 2: to be done with a fountain pen type instrument, though 146 00:10:38,210 --> 00:10:40,980 Speaker 2: not the one that we know as the modern fountain pen, 147 00:10:40,990 --> 00:10:41,830 Speaker 2: which we're going to get to. 148 00:10:42,290 --> 00:10:42,970 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah. 149 00:10:43,090 --> 00:10:46,490 Speaker 1: Da Vinci was kind of a MacGyver of his time. 150 00:10:47,250 --> 00:10:48,829 Speaker 1: We have to be honest about that. 151 00:10:48,850 --> 00:10:50,250 Speaker 2: He was a polymath, big time. 152 00:10:50,270 --> 00:10:54,850 Speaker 1: Yes, just so. And so we do know that not 153 00:10:54,990 --> 00:11:00,920 Speaker 1: too long ago, an Italian artisan named Amerigo Bombera, no 154 00:11:00,980 --> 00:11:07,860 Speaker 1: relation to the American continent's That guy was, ooh, we 155 00:11:07,890 --> 00:11:08,890 Speaker 1: should do an episode. 156 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:10,440 Speaker 2: Oh, I don't know much about this. I don't know 157 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:12,320 Speaker 2: much about him other than his namesake. But yeah, let's 158 00:11:12,340 --> 00:11:13,199 Speaker 2: definitely write that down. 159 00:11:13,700 --> 00:11:14,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah. 160 00:11:14,940 --> 00:11:16,540 Speaker 1: Max, do you have us on that one? 161 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:17,559 Speaker 4: I got you. 162 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:18,920 Speaker 2: All right, great. 163 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:28,160 Speaker 1: So this other Amerigo recreates the Da Vinci-designed pen for 164 00:11:28,610 --> 00:11:34,609 Speaker 1: a TV show over in Italy. It's called Super Quark. Uh, Noel, 165 00:11:34,730 --> 00:11:37,210 Speaker 1: do you have a good Italian accent? 166 00:11:38,030 --> 00:11:39,929 Speaker 2: Uh, let's see when you put me on the spot 167 00:11:39,950 --> 00:11:42,570 Speaker 2: like that, it's hard to conjure. Uh, I would say, 168 00:11:42,590 --> 00:11:46,099 Speaker 2: you know, my, I would want to say, uh, uh, 169 00:11:46,150 --> 00:11:49,400 Speaker 2: but that's really offensive. Uh, so no, Ben, I do not. 170 00:11:50,020 --> 00:11:50,920 Speaker 3: Okay. Okay. 171 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:55,600 Speaker 1: Well, folks, just hear us out here as well. Uh, 172 00:11:55,900 --> 00:12:00,350 Speaker 1: this idea that Da Vinci comes up with because he is, 173 00:12:00,610 --> 00:12:04,720 Speaker 1: as Noel says, a polymath, uh, It doesn't take off. 174 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:11,330 Speaker 1: People are super into Big Quill for about 200 years. 175 00:12:11,710 --> 00:12:12,930 Speaker 3: Yeah, Big Bird. 176 00:12:15,390 --> 00:12:19,600 Speaker 1: You get these mentions of this idea of a fountain 177 00:12:19,660 --> 00:12:23,179 Speaker 1: pen all the way back into the 1600s. 178 00:12:23,380 --> 00:12:27,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, a German inventor, a fellow by the name of 179 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:32,490 Speaker 2: Daniel Schventer, came up with the idea for a pen 180 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:35,870 Speaker 2: that would be made from two quills, one to hold 181 00:12:35,929 --> 00:12:40,690 Speaker 2: the ink inside of the other, sort of a turducken-type situation. 182 00:12:40,870 --> 00:12:44,890 Speaker 2: Samuel Pepes mentioned the idea of a pen to carry 183 00:12:45,050 --> 00:12:50,620 Speaker 2: ink in his diary in 1663. The oldest known surviving 184 00:12:50,700 --> 00:12:53,460 Speaker 2: example of a fountain pen was made by Nicolas Billon 185 00:12:54,250 --> 00:12:58,770 Speaker 2: and is inscribed right on the thing with the year 1702. 186 00:12:58,770 --> 00:13:03,270 Speaker 2: An illustrated description known as the Plume sans Fin was 187 00:13:03,370 --> 00:13:06,310 Speaker 2: published in 1723. 188 00:13:06,309 --> 00:13:11,559 Speaker 1: Which is interesting because we know logically that if there 189 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:16,340 Speaker 1: is an artifact that was engraved, it means earlier engraved. 190 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:19,599 Speaker 1: iterations of it exist. 191 00:13:20,110 --> 00:13:22,650 Speaker 2: And I'm doing a real rough translation as I am 192 00:13:22,690 --> 00:13:27,410 Speaker 2: no Frenchophile, Francophile, but I think plume sans fin means 193 00:13:27,590 --> 00:13:31,809 Speaker 2: plume without end, which would make sense given the constant 194 00:13:31,870 --> 00:13:33,050 Speaker 2: flow of the ink. 195 00:13:33,250 --> 00:13:36,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, and you don't have to constantly dip your quill 196 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:47,020 Speaker 1: and worry about the life of the birds. The Fountain 197 00:13:47,070 --> 00:13:52,500 Speaker 1: Pen as Ames teaches us today, consist of three parts. 198 00:13:52,700 --> 00:13:57,300 Speaker 1: You've got the ink reservoir inside the pen, right? And 199 00:13:57,340 --> 00:14:02,420 Speaker 1: you've got the feed, which will push the ink from 200 00:14:02,450 --> 00:14:06,510 Speaker 1: that reservoir to the tip of the pen. And then 201 00:14:06,570 --> 00:14:11,770 Speaker 1: the tip or the nib is that little pointed metal piece. 202 00:14:12,410 --> 00:14:16,030 Speaker 1: If you've got a fancy pen, While you're writing your 203 00:14:16,150 --> 00:14:24,140 Speaker 1: notes on Ridiculous History, please check, folks, the ones that bifurcate, 204 00:14:24,900 --> 00:14:28,500 Speaker 1: the ones that divide when you push too hard on 205 00:14:28,540 --> 00:14:28,960 Speaker 1: the paper. 206 00:14:29,300 --> 00:14:31,530 Speaker 2: So the feed delivers ink to the metal nib, which 207 00:14:31,610 --> 00:14:33,970 Speaker 2: then goes onto the paper when you touch the tip 208 00:14:34,010 --> 00:14:35,830 Speaker 2: of that nib to it. Like you said, Ben, the 209 00:14:35,890 --> 00:14:39,990 Speaker 2: absorbency of the paper continues that process. This is the 210 00:14:40,010 --> 00:14:43,480 Speaker 2: part that I love, the science-y part, using a concept 211 00:14:43,500 --> 00:14:46,920 Speaker 2: called capillary action. So you might remember that from the 212 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:53,180 Speaker 2: way water and nutrients move up the stems of plants. 213 00:14:53,260 --> 00:14:56,980 Speaker 1: Or when you're drinking a glass of water. take a 214 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:00,240 Speaker 1: strip of a napkin and put it over the top 215 00:15:00,260 --> 00:15:03,980 Speaker 1: of the glass and have a little, dare I say, 216 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:08,580 Speaker 1: nib into the surface of the water and watch the 217 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:11,040 Speaker 1: water run up. That is capillary action. 218 00:15:11,060 --> 00:15:14,580 Speaker 2: Yeah, it climbs up. So when you're writing, the paper 219 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:18,359 Speaker 2: draws the ink through the pen continuously until the pen 220 00:15:18,420 --> 00:15:21,320 Speaker 2: is empty, or of course you lift it up and 221 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:22,660 Speaker 2: then you have to refill it. 222 00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:27,510 Speaker 1: Yeah, and at this point, We're talking about one of 223 00:15:27,550 --> 00:15:32,600 Speaker 1: your favorite things, Newell, parallel thinking. We're talking about a 224 00:15:32,780 --> 00:15:36,859 Speaker 1: lot of prototypes, a lot of good ideas. It takes 225 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:40,700 Speaker 1: us a while as a civilization to get to the 226 00:15:41,300 --> 00:15:46,770 Speaker 1: final form, right? The final design. We have earlier prototypes 227 00:15:46,950 --> 00:15:52,580 Speaker 1: of the fountain pens. We have them competing in the 1600s. 228 00:15:53,780 --> 00:15:59,780 Speaker 1: There's the first official English patent for a fountain pen 229 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:06,110 Speaker 1: that is issued in 1809. And it's to, I must 230 00:16:06,170 --> 00:16:08,630 Speaker 1: defer to you. How do we say it? 231 00:16:08,730 --> 00:16:10,550 Speaker 2: That's very sweet. Very kind of you, Ben. I will 232 00:16:10,610 --> 00:16:12,870 Speaker 2: take it. I will take it and run with it 233 00:16:12,910 --> 00:16:16,490 Speaker 2: in the form of Frederick Fulch. There's an umlaut over 234 00:16:16,530 --> 00:16:19,410 Speaker 2: the O, so that's a U sound. Yeah, Frederick Fulch. 235 00:16:19,550 --> 00:16:24,140 Speaker 2: And the first commercially successful fountain pen was called the Penographic, 236 00:16:24,180 --> 00:16:26,000 Speaker 2: which when you look at it on paper, it looks 237 00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:28,360 Speaker 2: like it says pornographic, but maybe that just reminds me 238 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:31,020 Speaker 2: of the gutter. This is the Penographic. This was in 239 00:16:31,020 --> 00:16:36,370 Speaker 2: 1819 by John Sheffer. But it is usually a Romanian 240 00:16:36,500 --> 00:16:43,690 Speaker 2: engineer named Petros Ponaru, a mathematician, an engineer, physicist, and 241 00:16:43,750 --> 00:16:48,500 Speaker 2: inventor who is officially credited with inventing. the modern fountain pen, 242 00:16:48,540 --> 00:16:51,500 Speaker 2: because his design was first to include a lot of 243 00:16:51,580 --> 00:16:55,920 Speaker 2: the components that we know today. A barrel, or from 244 00:16:55,990 --> 00:17:00,170 Speaker 2: the historical description, a never-ending portable pen, like that term 245 00:17:00,230 --> 00:17:02,130 Speaker 2: earlier that I did look up, and that means the 246 00:17:02,710 --> 00:17:07,150 Speaker 2: plume sans fin, never-ending quill, or never-ending feather. Yeah, so 247 00:17:07,190 --> 00:17:11,320 Speaker 2: a never-ending portable pen that recharges itself, he says, with ink. 248 00:17:11,340 --> 00:17:14,409 Speaker 2: And at the time, this must have been remarkable, uh, 249 00:17:14,650 --> 00:17:16,490 Speaker 2: you know, nice. 250 00:17:16,730 --> 00:17:17,470 Speaker 1: Yeah. 251 00:17:17,570 --> 00:17:20,209 Speaker 2: I didn't, I thought it was beautiful. 252 00:17:20,730 --> 00:17:26,090 Speaker 1: Uh, it's, uh, we're reaching the economy of scale, ridiculous 253 00:17:26,150 --> 00:17:33,940 Speaker 1: historians in 1830, we solved the problem of the steel nib, the, 254 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:36,640 Speaker 1: the little bit at the end of your pen that 255 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:42,480 Speaker 1: delivers ink to a page. So now we have interchangeable, affordable, uh, 256 00:17:42,869 --> 00:17:49,000 Speaker 1: steel nibs. They get manufactured in large quantities. This happens 257 00:17:49,380 --> 00:17:55,100 Speaker 1: in Birmingham, England, and this leads to a period that 258 00:17:55,220 --> 00:18:01,080 Speaker 1: people call the Birmingham pen trade. And true story, over 259 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:06,760 Speaker 1: half of the world's supply of those little pieces that 260 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:10,959 Speaker 1: get the ink to the paper is Were manufactured in Birmingham, 261 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:12,960 Speaker 1: England for quite some time. 262 00:18:13,060 --> 00:18:16,750 Speaker 2: The Boomingham nib boom. I know I know it well. 263 00:18:17,090 --> 00:18:19,369 Speaker 2: I don't, but I do now. And I was mentioning 264 00:18:19,410 --> 00:18:22,399 Speaker 2: to you guys, you and Max off mic that I 265 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:25,000 Speaker 2: once subscribed to, I think what I referred to as 266 00:18:25,060 --> 00:18:27,140 Speaker 2: a man box and you didn't quite know what I meant. 267 00:18:27,910 --> 00:18:30,889 Speaker 2: It is a subscription service that sends like doodly stuff 268 00:18:31,050 --> 00:18:33,950 Speaker 2: to dudes. And, you know, it'll be like a whiskey 269 00:18:34,170 --> 00:18:35,109 Speaker 2: tumbler or. 270 00:18:35,050 --> 00:18:37,050 Speaker 1: Like some sort of switchblade. 271 00:18:37,330 --> 00:18:40,150 Speaker 2: Well, I bought the switchblade separately because I'm an adult 272 00:18:40,170 --> 00:18:41,580 Speaker 2: and I can do what I want. But it did 273 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:45,480 Speaker 2: come with some knives, like, you know, camping things, little 274 00:18:45,540 --> 00:18:48,760 Speaker 2: wallets and fun stuff. But it came with a reed. 275 00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:53,960 Speaker 2: refillable fountain pen that had these nibs that you would, uh, 276 00:18:53,990 --> 00:18:56,450 Speaker 2: that actually were charged already with the ink. So maybe 277 00:18:56,470 --> 00:18:58,490 Speaker 2: it's not quite the same as what we're talking about here, 278 00:18:58,790 --> 00:19:01,189 Speaker 2: but they, the little, you know, box of nibs that 279 00:19:01,210 --> 00:19:03,390 Speaker 2: came with was labeled as, as nibs, but they were 280 00:19:03,490 --> 00:19:04,770 Speaker 2: full of, uh, ink already. 281 00:19:05,250 --> 00:19:09,280 Speaker 1: We get to get to 1848 here because now we're 282 00:19:09,359 --> 00:19:13,260 Speaker 1: on a J curve of development. We've got this American 283 00:19:13,300 --> 00:19:17,200 Speaker 1: inventor shout out to the States. Uh, Noel, help me 284 00:19:17,260 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 1: with this one. Azel Storrs? Sure. 285 00:19:20,580 --> 00:19:22,120 Speaker 2: Azel? I couldn't have done it any better. 286 00:19:22,220 --> 00:19:22,920 Speaker 1: Azel Storrs? 287 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:28,290 Speaker 2: Azel. Azel. Old buddy. Yep. Azel Storrs Lyman. He patented 288 00:19:28,330 --> 00:19:32,430 Speaker 2: a pen that was described in the patent as having 289 00:19:32,510 --> 00:19:36,770 Speaker 2: a combined holder and nib. And then a guy named 290 00:19:36,850 --> 00:19:41,340 Speaker 2: Robert William Thompson invented the refillable pen in 1849. Yeah. 291 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:47,990 Speaker 2: In 1883, we've got Louis Waterman who patented the now 292 00:19:48,150 --> 00:19:52,900 Speaker 2: standard capillary action system. that stabilizes ink flow and really 293 00:19:52,940 --> 00:19:57,180 Speaker 2: brings us into what we are referring to affectionately as 294 00:19:57,320 --> 00:19:59,119 Speaker 2: the golden age of fountain pens. 295 00:19:59,700 --> 00:20:00,110 Speaker 4: Yes. 296 00:20:00,690 --> 00:20:04,910 Speaker 1: Oh, my gosh. Classic Lewis. This is the halcyon age 297 00:20:05,470 --> 00:20:09,230 Speaker 1: of fountain pens. Now, all of a sudden, we have 298 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:16,410 Speaker 1: the three, the three variables pushing up together like Voltron 299 00:20:16,570 --> 00:20:20,290 Speaker 1: or the Avengers. We've got the iridium tipped gold nibs. 300 00:20:20,410 --> 00:20:24,100 Speaker 1: We've got hard rubber barrels. We've got free flowing ink. 301 00:20:24,170 --> 00:20:26,140 Speaker 1: This is coming from pure pens. 302 00:20:26,380 --> 00:20:29,040 Speaker 2: Yeah. I love that exists by the way, pen enthusiasts, 303 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:30,300 Speaker 2: the world over. 304 00:20:30,420 --> 00:20:30,660 Speaker 3: Yes. 305 00:20:30,740 --> 00:20:33,140 Speaker 2: Yes. And on pure pens for all their use. 306 00:20:33,820 --> 00:20:34,100 Speaker 3: Yes. 307 00:20:34,180 --> 00:20:37,850 Speaker 1: And Ames, uh, we hope you're, we are doing you proud. 308 00:20:38,410 --> 00:20:40,830 Speaker 2: Uh, I'm sorry, Iridium tipped? 309 00:20:41,390 --> 00:20:41,630 Speaker 4: Yes. 310 00:20:42,100 --> 00:20:45,680 Speaker 2: Wait a minute, I recognize that. Iridium is a currency 311 00:20:45,740 --> 00:20:49,260 Speaker 2: in the Borderlands games, if I'm not mistaken. Yes. 312 00:20:50,020 --> 00:20:55,129 Speaker 1: Yes folks uh nola max are still hardcore into borderlands 313 00:20:55,210 --> 00:20:56,530 Speaker 1: how's it going for you guys. 314 00:20:56,390 --> 00:20:58,229 Speaker 2: Oh i've actually fallen off quite a bit because i 315 00:20:58,270 --> 00:20:59,510 Speaker 2: replaced it with uh. 316 00:20:59,830 --> 00:21:01,850 Speaker 1: Uh splatoon well. 317 00:21:01,550 --> 00:21:06,020 Speaker 2: Splatoon um raiders and now of course control residents but 318 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:09,240 Speaker 2: i do enjoy the borderlands games and iridium is a 319 00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:11,639 Speaker 2: an element i think that you collect that allows you 320 00:21:11,660 --> 00:21:13,860 Speaker 2: to what is it max get like higher level upgrades 321 00:21:13,940 --> 00:21:15,919 Speaker 2: or you can only use it for certain things or what's. 322 00:21:15,780 --> 00:21:19,510 Speaker 4: The It changes between games, but yeah, it's like a 323 00:21:19,670 --> 00:21:22,689 Speaker 4: super valuable currency that's hard to use. But to answer 324 00:21:22,710 --> 00:21:24,510 Speaker 4: your question, Ben, I am actually thinking about doing a 325 00:21:24,530 --> 00:21:28,490 Speaker 4: Borderlands 2 replay because one of the best games ever made, 326 00:21:28,510 --> 00:21:29,669 Speaker 4: one of the best video games of all time is 327 00:21:29,710 --> 00:21:30,810 Speaker 4: still Borderlands 2. 328 00:21:30,810 --> 00:21:32,970 Speaker 2: It's an incredible game. I think it occurred to me 329 00:21:33,020 --> 00:21:36,040 Speaker 2: that Iridium might be radioactive just because it sounds so 330 00:21:36,080 --> 00:21:39,159 Speaker 2: much like irradiated. Yes, yeah. 331 00:21:40,140 --> 00:21:45,440 Speaker 1: The element itself is not radioactive. but there are isotopes 332 00:21:45,580 --> 00:21:49,160 Speaker 1: that are. We don't have time for this. We got 333 00:21:49,180 --> 00:21:53,020 Speaker 1: to get back into our fountain pen stuff. So now 334 00:21:53,460 --> 00:21:58,340 Speaker 1: we're basically in the early days of the Soda Wars, 335 00:21:58,540 --> 00:22:04,050 Speaker 1: for instance, right? Everybody is making their favorite version of 336 00:22:04,430 --> 00:22:12,050 Speaker 1: a always on fountain pen, right? And everybody loves it. 337 00:22:12,740 --> 00:22:18,820 Speaker 1: And everybody wants to flex. It's like having a, how 338 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:21,990 Speaker 1: do I pronounce this, Nola Patek? Is that the watch? 339 00:22:22,050 --> 00:22:24,150 Speaker 2: You know, it's funny. Like, that is how I think 340 00:22:24,190 --> 00:22:26,350 Speaker 2: you pronounce it properly. But a lot of the, like, 341 00:22:27,550 --> 00:22:30,750 Speaker 2: 42nd Street watch guys that I follow on the Internet, 342 00:22:30,790 --> 00:22:34,070 Speaker 2: they say paddock, which I think is wrong. But they 343 00:22:34,130 --> 00:22:35,810 Speaker 2: say it. They all say it. I think it might 344 00:22:35,830 --> 00:22:37,450 Speaker 2: just be, like, a lot of people from, like, Long 345 00:22:37,550 --> 00:22:40,190 Speaker 2: Island and certain parts of New York take great pride 346 00:22:40,330 --> 00:22:42,870 Speaker 2: in mispronouncing things and doing it aggressively. 347 00:22:43,270 --> 00:22:43,609 Speaker 3: Yes. 348 00:22:43,830 --> 00:22:44,950 Speaker 1: How vague. Mm-hmm. 349 00:22:45,530 --> 00:22:47,929 Speaker 2: Maybe not quite, but you know what I'm saying. 350 00:22:48,430 --> 00:22:49,909 Speaker 1: I thought it worked. 351 00:22:50,119 --> 00:22:52,879 Speaker 2: There's a certain word like, ask me a question or, 352 00:22:52,900 --> 00:22:54,840 Speaker 2: you know, like they just, they know that that's not 353 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:57,120 Speaker 2: exactly how he's pronounced it, but they're like, I don't care. 354 00:22:57,140 --> 00:22:59,620 Speaker 2: This is how I say it. You can, you know, yeah. 355 00:22:59,700 --> 00:23:01,220 Speaker 2: Take a long walk off a short pier. 356 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:03,100 Speaker 3: There we go. 357 00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:12,659 Speaker 1: The fountain pen did take a long walk off a 358 00:23:12,740 --> 00:23:19,850 Speaker 1: short pier because, uh, Amid all these massive mechanical improvements, 359 00:23:20,430 --> 00:23:23,650 Speaker 1: this thing has a catbird seat for a while. It's 360 00:23:23,790 --> 00:23:27,820 Speaker 1: better than pulling a feather off your friendly bird and 361 00:23:28,490 --> 00:23:33,740 Speaker 1: always worrying about where the ink goes. There are decades 362 00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:39,680 Speaker 1: where the fountain pen, in various iterations, is awesome. People 363 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:44,140 Speaker 1: worship it. It is used by Prince and Pauper alike. 364 00:23:44,710 --> 00:23:49,649 Speaker 1: Until the next iteration, the rollerball pen. 365 00:23:50,010 --> 00:23:53,850 Speaker 2: Ah, yes, the rollerball pen. This is something that we 366 00:23:53,930 --> 00:23:59,560 Speaker 2: start to see. showing up and kind of becoming perfected, 367 00:23:59,580 --> 00:24:01,920 Speaker 2: I guess you could say, by the 1960s. Early iterations 368 00:24:02,020 --> 00:24:06,580 Speaker 2: of the rollerball didn't really catch on. They struggled to 369 00:24:06,619 --> 00:24:09,320 Speaker 2: replicate the success and the popularity of the fountain pen 370 00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:13,649 Speaker 2: because they were a little pricier. Also, they had a 371 00:24:13,710 --> 00:24:17,450 Speaker 2: bit of an ink flow issue, not particularly consistent. 372 00:24:17,869 --> 00:24:20,230 Speaker 1: And they were nouveau riche, let's be honest. 373 00:24:20,330 --> 00:24:20,590 Speaker 3: Sure. 374 00:24:20,750 --> 00:24:24,900 Speaker 2: And they also were notoriously leaky. Though fountain pens, you know, 375 00:24:24,980 --> 00:24:27,940 Speaker 2: also I think there's certainly tropes about leaky fountain pens. 376 00:24:28,220 --> 00:24:31,680 Speaker 2: But fountain pens, because of their history, they, as Ames 377 00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:34,620 Speaker 2: points out, had a certain je ne sais quoi because 378 00:24:35,020 --> 00:24:40,660 Speaker 2: they were a little more bespoke and kind of, you know, handcrafted. Yeah. 379 00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:48,040 Speaker 1: And as we were teasing, in the 1960s, the manufacturers 380 00:24:48,140 --> 00:24:54,050 Speaker 1: had reckoned with the production flaws. in the ballpoint pen 381 00:24:54,350 --> 00:24:58,629 Speaker 1: at scale, right? The ruler ball pen. And this is 382 00:24:58,710 --> 00:25:03,790 Speaker 1: where we see Waterman and Montblanc, they start producing these 383 00:25:03,950 --> 00:25:08,780 Speaker 1: ruler ball pens with a lot more variety. And now 384 00:25:08,859 --> 00:25:16,120 Speaker 1: it's just like Timex creating bespoke watches, right? Different ink colors, engravings, 385 00:25:16,300 --> 00:25:24,720 Speaker 1: fancier manufacturing elements. The ballpoint pen is, gradually becomes the 386 00:25:25,060 --> 00:25:29,860 Speaker 1: new status symbol. So if you are, let's say, getting 387 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:34,440 Speaker 1: through college or getting through high school, you have perfect 388 00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:39,180 Speaker 1: attendance in a year of elementary school, you get gifted 389 00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:45,359 Speaker 1: an amazing pen, right? And now it becomes a limited edition. 390 00:25:45,380 --> 00:25:53,180 Speaker 1: It also, as you know, results in pretty cool Yeah. 391 00:25:54,020 --> 00:25:56,500 Speaker 2: It just became a little bit more accessible to the 392 00:25:56,640 --> 00:26:00,990 Speaker 2: average human. So gradually, the fountain pen kind of became 393 00:26:01,090 --> 00:26:04,910 Speaker 2: relegated more to collectors and enthusiasts, sort of the way, 394 00:26:04,930 --> 00:26:06,770 Speaker 2: I mean, I guess we are kind of, I don't know, 395 00:26:06,850 --> 00:26:08,570 Speaker 2: I'm only, I'm sort of new to it, but like, 396 00:26:09,190 --> 00:26:12,810 Speaker 2: you know, everyone, you can tell time using your iPhone 397 00:26:12,890 --> 00:26:15,170 Speaker 2: or your computer or like, you know, a cheap digital 398 00:26:15,210 --> 00:26:17,970 Speaker 2: watch or a quartz watch. So people that are really 399 00:26:18,030 --> 00:26:21,280 Speaker 2: into watches or mechanical watches, It becomes a little bit 400 00:26:21,320 --> 00:26:23,460 Speaker 2: more of a flex or a niche thing or someone 401 00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:26,139 Speaker 2: that's just fascinated by the craftsmanship of it. But it 402 00:26:26,180 --> 00:26:29,730 Speaker 2: is not necessarily something that is unique. It is more 403 00:26:29,810 --> 00:26:32,190 Speaker 2: something that is of interest to you, you know, a 404 00:26:32,230 --> 00:26:33,370 Speaker 2: hobbyist or a collector. 405 00:26:33,869 --> 00:26:35,730 Speaker 1: Do you want a fountain pen? 406 00:26:36,109 --> 00:26:38,590 Speaker 2: I don't because I just don't write enough with my hand, 407 00:26:38,609 --> 00:26:40,949 Speaker 2: like I was saying. There is a part of me 408 00:26:40,990 --> 00:26:43,230 Speaker 2: that wants to maybe get one of those cool Japanese 409 00:26:43,300 --> 00:26:45,780 Speaker 2: planners and maybe start doing it more, but I'm not 410 00:26:45,859 --> 00:26:49,280 Speaker 2: quite there yet. But I do have that nifty little 411 00:26:49,460 --> 00:26:51,320 Speaker 2: French fountain pen that I told you about that I 412 00:26:51,359 --> 00:26:54,840 Speaker 2: got from the man box. But to the earlier point, 413 00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:58,800 Speaker 2: in recent years, much like– almost like, to your point, Ben, 414 00:26:58,840 --> 00:27:02,540 Speaker 2: a bit of a backlash– against the digitization of everything, 415 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:06,240 Speaker 2: much like a watch collecting. Um, there is a bit 416 00:27:06,260 --> 00:27:09,680 Speaker 2: of a resurgence in fountain pens. Um, you will often 417 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:13,080 Speaker 2: see much like the watch content that I'm always yelling 418 00:27:13,119 --> 00:27:16,520 Speaker 2: about on Tik TOK or Instagram reels or YouTube shorts, 419 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:22,310 Speaker 2: unboxing videos of new fountain pens, um, you know, tutorials 420 00:27:22,460 --> 00:27:25,150 Speaker 2: on how to refill them properly and maintain them properly 421 00:27:25,190 --> 00:27:26,669 Speaker 2: and things like that. Yeah. 422 00:27:27,430 --> 00:27:32,980 Speaker 1: They were once the, uh, they were once the status 423 00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:36,740 Speaker 1: of like the gold watch you get at retirement, right? 424 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:40,939 Speaker 1: Your dad would say, oh, they gave me a pen 425 00:27:41,060 --> 00:27:44,820 Speaker 1: and a watch when I was done breaking my heart 426 00:27:45,060 --> 00:27:50,380 Speaker 1: for 50 years or whatever. Now, to your earlier point there, Noel, 427 00:27:50,859 --> 00:27:56,380 Speaker 1: there's a surging popularity in all things analog, and we 428 00:27:56,560 --> 00:28:01,810 Speaker 1: welcome it. collectors are coming out of the woodwork, enthusiasts 429 00:28:01,910 --> 00:28:06,310 Speaker 1: are coming out of the stationary, we could say, and 430 00:28:06,450 --> 00:28:13,619 Speaker 1: people are writing again. We are tremendously, I think all 431 00:28:13,660 --> 00:28:19,199 Speaker 1: three of us, we are tremendously excited about this. For sure. 432 00:28:20,140 --> 00:28:26,790 Speaker 2: And I know we're both fans of The incredibly specific 433 00:28:27,170 --> 00:28:31,399 Speaker 2: and precise nature of a lot of Japanese products, whether 434 00:28:31,460 --> 00:28:36,140 Speaker 2: it be like a bath implements, like I recently bought 435 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:40,560 Speaker 2: like this really cool exfoliating product. washcloth that's long and 436 00:28:40,580 --> 00:28:42,400 Speaker 2: you can use it to like wash your back. And like, 437 00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:43,920 Speaker 2: you know, it's pretty, they just, I don't know, they're 438 00:28:43,940 --> 00:28:46,520 Speaker 2: so good at these kinds of things. And that extends 439 00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:48,660 Speaker 2: to a lot of writing implements. If you've ever been 440 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:51,190 Speaker 2: to Muji, which is sort of like I describe it 441 00:28:51,230 --> 00:28:52,630 Speaker 2: often to people that don't know about it as like 442 00:28:52,690 --> 00:28:56,270 Speaker 2: Japanese Ikea, you can get all these crazy pens there 443 00:28:57,130 --> 00:29:00,080 Speaker 2: that are affordable in all different colors, but they also 444 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:02,979 Speaker 2: make something called like the Pilot Kakuno, which I think 445 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:05,820 Speaker 2: is something you could probably get. which is only $ 15. 446 00:29:05,700 --> 00:29:09,680 Speaker 2: It's a fountain pen designed for beginners. It has a 447 00:29:09,700 --> 00:29:11,870 Speaker 2: little smiley face on the nib. But if you want 448 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:13,910 Speaker 2: to go to the extreme opposite end of the spectrum, 449 00:29:13,930 --> 00:29:17,370 Speaker 2: you've got the Namiki Emperor Maki fountain pen, which has 450 00:29:17,410 --> 00:29:21,820 Speaker 2: an 18-carat gold nib. is handmade and takes months to 451 00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:24,380 Speaker 2: produce just one. It must be made of like the 452 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:27,140 Speaker 2: center of a tree or something. That's going to run 453 00:29:27,180 --> 00:29:29,880 Speaker 2: you about $ 20, 000. 454 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:29,680 Speaker 1: U.S. dollars? 455 00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:30,220 Speaker 2: Yeah, U.S. 456 00:29:30,220 --> 00:29:30,850 Speaker 1: Dollars. 457 00:29:30,850 --> 00:29:34,800 Speaker 2: So we're talking high-end watch prices for a single pen. 458 00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:38,830 Speaker 2: And it probably comes in an incredible you know, wooden case. 459 00:29:38,970 --> 00:29:40,970 Speaker 2: It's also made from the same tree or something. 460 00:29:41,090 --> 00:29:43,880 Speaker 1: Right. And we know the name of the tree, and 461 00:29:43,910 --> 00:29:46,140 Speaker 1: it has a history, and you can show up there 462 00:29:46,740 --> 00:29:49,480 Speaker 1: once a year on a moonless night, and it'll speak 463 00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:53,700 Speaker 1: to you if you write to it. Yeah, very Ghibli. 464 00:29:54,380 --> 00:30:00,130 Speaker 1: The potential here. is exactly what you're describing, Noel, because 465 00:30:00,430 --> 00:30:05,860 Speaker 1: as Ames was mentioning, you have this variation. You've got, 466 00:30:06,660 --> 00:30:12,240 Speaker 1: just like your favorite pilot pen now in the United States, 467 00:30:12,460 --> 00:30:15,700 Speaker 1: you can have a size that goes from extra fine 468 00:30:15,740 --> 00:30:20,230 Speaker 1: to very broad. You have different types of flexibility, and 469 00:30:20,290 --> 00:30:24,530 Speaker 1: you have different types of metal, including gold. 470 00:30:26,310 --> 00:30:27,170 Speaker 3: I don't know, man. 471 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:33,620 Speaker 1: I'm vastly fascinated by this. You can still, even today, 472 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:39,050 Speaker 1: get what they call a traditional dip pen, which means 473 00:30:39,070 --> 00:30:43,730 Speaker 1: you have to put it into the ink reservoir just 474 00:30:43,790 --> 00:30:50,120 Speaker 1: the way those problematic stalking-riddled founding fathers did when they 475 00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:51,540 Speaker 1: wrote the Constitution. 476 00:30:52,180 --> 00:30:54,990 Speaker 2: That's right. And to the earlier point, I think it was, 477 00:30:55,010 --> 00:30:59,110 Speaker 2: what was it, the name of the website? It was Pen, 478 00:30:59,230 --> 00:31:01,760 Speaker 2: Pure Pen, I think is what it was called. There 479 00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:04,000 Speaker 2: are communities for this stuff, as you can imagine there 480 00:31:04,060 --> 00:31:08,150 Speaker 2: is for Anything. I'm about to attend New York Comic Con, 481 00:31:08,430 --> 00:31:10,460 Speaker 2: which is the kind of thing that you go to 482 00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:13,940 Speaker 2: if you're into all kinds of fandom and nerdery. That 483 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:19,920 Speaker 2: kind of world does exist for pen enthusiasts. You've got 484 00:31:20,680 --> 00:31:24,300 Speaker 2: pen shows where people travel from all around the world. 485 00:31:25,260 --> 00:31:27,670 Speaker 2: There are attendees who will sometimes travel and stay in 486 00:31:27,690 --> 00:31:30,110 Speaker 2: the conference hotel for all three days. There's one in particular, 487 00:31:30,130 --> 00:31:31,070 Speaker 2: but I bet there's more than one. 488 00:31:31,510 --> 00:31:33,710 Speaker 1: Oh, we got to do AIM's best joke. 489 00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:37,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's right here. We're definitely going to do it 490 00:31:37,110 --> 00:31:40,250 Speaker 2: because you've got folks that are pen influencers, and the 491 00:31:40,290 --> 00:31:43,750 Speaker 2: joke really writes itself, Ben. They're pen influencers, of course. 492 00:31:43,910 --> 00:31:45,490 Speaker 3: All right. 493 00:31:46,550 --> 00:31:51,640 Speaker 1: It's also different from what we call pen testing, penetration testing. 494 00:31:52,540 --> 00:31:56,180 Speaker 1: You can play along at home. I think legal will 495 00:31:56,280 --> 00:32:00,120 Speaker 1: not allow Noel Max and yours truly to say that 496 00:32:00,140 --> 00:32:03,310 Speaker 1: it is very easy to to put on an orange 497 00:32:03,410 --> 00:32:12,910 Speaker 1: construction vest, and walk wherever you wish. These pen enthusiasts 498 00:32:13,820 --> 00:32:20,380 Speaker 1: will travel across the world to see their vintage favorites. 499 00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:24,900 Speaker 1: They will travel to teach and hang out with each other. 500 00:32:25,300 --> 00:32:29,890 Speaker 1: There is a huge community of people who love fountain 501 00:32:29,950 --> 00:32:33,790 Speaker 1: pens and it actually made it all the way to 502 00:32:33,870 --> 00:32:39,450 Speaker 1: the Supreme Court of the United States. SCOTUS, our nine 503 00:32:39,570 --> 00:32:46,570 Speaker 1: creepy ringwraiths, did issue the following statement. I'll read it 504 00:32:46,610 --> 00:32:49,250 Speaker 1: here in full. We'll keep it short. 505 00:32:51,150 --> 00:32:55,350 Speaker 3: Quill pens have remained part of the courtroom scene. White 506 00:32:55,510 --> 00:32:59,150 Speaker 3: quills are placed on council tables each day that the 507 00:32:59,260 --> 00:33:03,100 Speaker 3: court sits. as was done at the earliest sessions of 508 00:33:03,160 --> 00:33:04,920 Speaker 3: the court. End quote. 509 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:11,330 Speaker 1: Noel, do you think the Supreme Court is using quills 510 00:33:11,530 --> 00:33:14,970 Speaker 1: right now? I think they're using regular pens. 511 00:33:15,910 --> 00:33:18,330 Speaker 2: I can't imagine that a lot of the folks sitting 512 00:33:18,370 --> 00:33:19,690 Speaker 2: on the Supreme Court even know how to write. 513 00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:22,260 Speaker 3: I'm sorry. 514 00:33:22,300 --> 00:33:26,530 Speaker 2: Shady. Shady, shade, shade. Some of them are fine. Well-deserved, though. 515 00:33:26,670 --> 00:33:27,950 Speaker 2: It is the kind of thing, though, that I could 516 00:33:28,010 --> 00:33:31,530 Speaker 2: imagine members of the House of Lords in the United 517 00:33:31,590 --> 00:33:36,050 Speaker 2: Kingdom perhaps doing with their peruque wigs or whatever. Yes, 518 00:33:36,110 --> 00:33:39,550 Speaker 2: their peruques. They do lean on tradition over there a 519 00:33:39,590 --> 00:33:43,010 Speaker 2: little bit more than we do. But we'll wrap this 520 00:33:43,070 --> 00:33:47,930 Speaker 2: episode in this incredible research from Ames. With a really 521 00:33:47,970 --> 00:33:51,250 Speaker 2: cool pop cultural reference from the Indiana Jones franchise, there's 522 00:33:51,290 --> 00:33:55,140 Speaker 2: a really cool scene where Sean Connery, who plays Indy's father, 523 00:33:56,160 --> 00:34:01,240 Speaker 2: uses his trusty fountain pen as a kind of MacGyver-esque 524 00:34:01,610 --> 00:34:06,190 Speaker 2: subterfuge or diversion. He's trapped... In a small room on 525 00:34:06,290 --> 00:34:11,910 Speaker 2: a Nazi-controlled Zeppelin, Professor Henry Jones Sr. finds himself being 526 00:34:12,030 --> 00:34:16,590 Speaker 2: bullied by an aggressive Nazi officer and thinking on his toes, 527 00:34:17,030 --> 00:34:19,360 Speaker 2: because of course he is, you know, Indiana Jones' father, 528 00:34:19,700 --> 00:34:22,420 Speaker 2: he uses his fountain pen to squirt ink into the 529 00:34:22,500 --> 00:34:27,080 Speaker 2: officer's eyeballs, which blinds and disorients him and allows Indiana 530 00:34:27,120 --> 00:34:31,560 Speaker 2: Jones and his father to make their escape. As a character, Dr. 531 00:34:31,620 --> 00:34:34,779 Speaker 2: Marcus Brody, played by the actor Denham Elliott, says in 532 00:34:34,820 --> 00:34:39,160 Speaker 2: the film, and also Max Williams' nickname, of course, the 533 00:34:39,200 --> 00:34:41,580 Speaker 2: pen is truly mightier than the sword. 534 00:34:42,340 --> 00:34:47,480 Speaker 1: And we'll close with this one from our buddy Samuel Clemens, 535 00:34:48,060 --> 00:34:53,759 Speaker 1: street name Mark Twain. In 1897, he said, None of 536 00:34:53,890 --> 00:34:57,890 Speaker 1: us can have as many virtues as the fountain pen does. 537 00:34:58,580 --> 00:35:03,680 Speaker 1: or half its cussedness, but we can try. Thank you, 538 00:35:03,780 --> 00:35:06,700 Speaker 1: as always, so much for tuning in. Big shout out 539 00:35:06,739 --> 00:35:11,350 Speaker 1: to our super producer, Max the Freight Train Williams. Big 540 00:35:11,390 --> 00:35:15,950 Speaker 1: shout out to A.J. Bahamas Jacobs. Noel, did you see 541 00:35:16,030 --> 00:35:19,770 Speaker 1: that A.J. is pioneering a new kind of puzzle? 542 00:35:20,390 --> 00:35:21,910 Speaker 2: I wouldn't doubt it. I wouldn't put it past him. 543 00:35:21,969 --> 00:35:24,090 Speaker 2: What could be a new kind of puzzle? 544 00:35:24,110 --> 00:35:26,779 Speaker 1: Dude, he calls it a micro crossword. 545 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:27,299 Speaker 2: Hmm. 546 00:35:28,130 --> 00:35:30,710 Speaker 1: I love it. Yeah, you get it. 547 00:35:30,900 --> 00:35:32,920 Speaker 2: Is it one cross? That's it? 548 00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:38,200 Speaker 1: No, it's one cell. It's a one-letter thing. 549 00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:39,700 Speaker 2: I'm going to have to look that up. I can't 550 00:35:39,719 --> 00:35:42,109 Speaker 2: possibly imagine how that goes. But huge thanks to that 551 00:35:42,190 --> 00:35:48,150 Speaker 2: man and his contributions to culture and cross-wordery. 552 00:35:48,989 --> 00:35:53,930 Speaker 1: Right. And the opposite of those accolades to Jonathan Strickland, a.k.a. 553 00:35:54,700 --> 00:35:58,980 Speaker 1: The Quister, Big, big thanks, of course, to the rude 554 00:35:59,060 --> 00:36:04,700 Speaker 1: dudes at Ridiculous Crime. And Noel, if it's OK, Max, 555 00:36:04,920 --> 00:36:06,630 Speaker 1: if it's OK, if I say it to both of 556 00:36:06,670 --> 00:36:09,610 Speaker 1: you guys, happy birthday to Alex Williams. 557 00:36:09,790 --> 00:36:11,890 Speaker 2: Oh, my gosh. I did not know. I'm so bad 558 00:36:11,930 --> 00:36:14,669 Speaker 2: at birthdays. I will reach out to the man, the myth, 559 00:36:14,770 --> 00:36:18,799 Speaker 2: the legend, Alex Williams, who composed our theme. We'll see 560 00:36:18,820 --> 00:36:28,340 Speaker 2: you next time, folks. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, 561 00:36:28,380 --> 00:36:31,319 Speaker 2: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 562 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:32,640 Speaker 2: listen to your favorite shows.