However, usually it is done by an internal filling mechanism which creates suction. A piston mechanism or a vacuum transfers ink directly through the nib into the reservoir. Some pens have removable reservoirs in the form of pre-filled ink cartridges.
According to Mathur "the modern fountain pen nib may be traced back to the original gold nib which had a tiny fragment of ruby attached to form the wear-point". Nibs tipped with platinum group alloys such as iridium have been used since the 1830s. Today, the main part of the nib are usually made of stainless steel and/or gold The most popular gold content is 14 carat (58⅓%) and 18 carat (75%). The idea is that the nib should be flexible yet firm, and the tip extremely hard-wearing.
Until the early 20th century, the ink in a fountain pen was kept directly in the barrel. The slim barrels were made of hard rubber, which came in two colours, black and red. Ink was put in these barrels with an eye-dropper. To do this, the user had to take off the nib section, put the ink in and replace the nib section. This operation required a quiet secluded place, which some people might not have.
In 1907, Walter A. Sheaffer patented the lever filler. This used a hinged lever set into the pen barrel which pressed down onto a bar which in turn compressed a rubber sac inside, creating a vacuum which pulled ink into the pen. This could be done without removing the nib section.
Introduced in 1912, this innovation was rapidly imitated by the other major pen makers. Parker introduced the button filler, which had a button hidden beneath a blind cap on the end of the barrel. When pressed, it acted on a pressure bar inside to depress the ink sac. Many other firms used a lever set flat along the barrel, which, when pulled, squeezed the rubber sac. It was the rubber sac which made all the difference between the founain pens of the 19th century and those of the 20th century. Other firms used a screw mechanism at the top end of the pen to squeeze the rubber sac. This made the pen look more elegant.
John Habgood
John Stapylton Habgood, Baron Habgood, (23 June 1927 – 6 March 2019) was a British Anglican bishop, academic, and life peer. He was Bishop of Durham from 1973 to 1983, and Archbishop of York from 18 November 1983 to 1995.
In 1995, he was made a life peer and was in the House of Lords after stepping down as Archbishop. He took a leave of absence in later life, and was one of the first peers to retire from the Lords in 2011.
Habgood died on 6 March 2019 at the age of 91.
Carolee Schneemann
Carolee Schneemann (October 12, 1939 – March 6, 2019) was an American visual experimental artist. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was known for her multi-media works on the body, narrative, sexuality and gender.
Schneemann received a B.A. from Bard College and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois. Her work was seen by research into visual traditions, taboos, and the body of the individual in relation to social bodies. Her works have been shown at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the London National Film Theatre, and many other venues.
Schneemann died on March 6, 2019 at her home in New Paltz, New York from breast cancer at the age of 79.
New Paltz, New York
New Paltz () is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 14,003 at the 2010 census. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county and is south of Kingston.
Llanito
Llanito or Yanito (pronounced ) is a form of Spanish heavily mixed with words from English and other languages, such as Ligurian; it is spoken at Gibraltar.
Robert Braithwaite (engineer)
Robert Braithwaite, CBE, DL (12 May 1943 – 7 March 2019) was a British entrepreneur and marine engineer. He was known as the Founder and President of the luxury powerboat manufacturer, alongside John Macklin, Sunseeker. He was born in Otley, Yorkshire.
Braithwaite died in the early hours of 7 March 2019, aged 75.
Pino Caruso
Giuseppe Caruso (12 October 1934 – 7 March 2019), best known as Pino Caruso, was an Italian actor, author and television personality. He was born in Palermo, Italy. He was known for his roles in "La governante", "The Sunday Woman" and in "Il ficcanaso". Caruso was the president of the Italian Actors Union from 1979 to 1989.
Caruso died of complications from Parkinson's disease in Rome on 7 March 2019, aged 84.
Guillaume Faye
Guillaume Faye (; 7 November 1949 – 7 March 2019) was a French journalist and writer. He was born in Angoulême, France. In 1987, Guillaume Faye withdrew from politics. In 1990, he took part in Skyrock radio station as 'Skyman'. He also appeared in "Telematin" episodes on the France 2 TV channel from 1991 to 1993. He took part in the "Rivarol".
Faye died of complications from lung cancer on 7 March 2019, aged 69.
Carmine Persico
Carmine John Persico Jr. (August 8, 1933 – March 7, 2019), also known as "Junior", "The Snake" and "Immortal", was an American criminal and convicted racketeer. He was the long-time boss of the Colombo crime family from 1973 until his death. He was serving a sentence of 139 years in federal prison from 1987, until his death. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.
Persico died on March 7, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina from complications of diabetes, aged 85.
William Powers Jr.
William Charles Powers Jr. (May 30, 1946 – March 10, 2019) was an American attorney, academic, and university administrator. He was the 28th president of the University of Texas at Austin, becoming the second-longest serving president in the university's history. He held the position from February 1, 2006 to July 2, 2015. Powers Jr. was born in Los Angeles, California.
Powers Jr. died from complications of a fall in Austin, Texas on March 10, 2019, aged 72.
Kelly Catlin
Kelly Catlin (November 3, 1995 – March 7, 2019) was an American professional racing cyclist. She rode for UCI Women's Team. Catlin won gold medals in the women's team pursuit at the 2016, 2017 and 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. She also won a silver medal in the same event at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Catlin was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was a triplet.
Catlin killed herself on March 7, 2019 at Stanford University in Stanford, California. She was 23. Months before her death, she had a concussion.
Michael Gielen
Michael Andreas Gielen (20 July 19278 March 2019) was an Austrian conductor and composer who promoted contemporary music in opera and concert.
He first worked in Vienna and was Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of the Royal Swedish Opera. He conducted world premieres such as György Ligeti's "Requièm", Karlheinz Stockhausen's "Carré", and Bernd Alois Zimmermann's opera "Die Soldaten" and his "Requiem für einen jungen Dichter". He directed the Frankfurt Opera from 1977 to 1987. During his era, the company became one of the leading operas.
Gielen was also principal conductor of the Belgian National Orchestra (1969–1973), the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (1980–1986) and the Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra (1986–1999).
Gielen died on 8 March 2019 in Mondsee, Austria from pneumonia, aged 91.
Ian Lawrence
Ian William Lawrence (1937 – 8 March 2019) was an Australian-born New Zealand lawyer and politician. He was the Mayor of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, from 1983 to 1986. Lawrence was born in Sydney, New South Wales. He was a member of the conservative Wellington Citizens' Association.
Lawrence was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for services to local government and the community.
Lawrence died in Jerusalem on 8 March 2019 from stomach cancer. He was 82.
Alberto Bucci