At one time Penkala had as many as 800 workers in his factory and exported his pencils to 70 countries worldwide, making his company one of the largest writing material manufacturers in the world.
On this day Eduard Slavoljub Penkala patented his first mechanical pencil. He was born in what is now Slovakia, but was of Polish-Dutch descent. He moved to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, where he patented a series of products and soon started producing them. In 1911 he opened a factory in the same city.
At one time Penkala had as many as 800 workers in his factory and exported his pencils to 70 countries worldwide, making his company one of the largest writing material manufacturers in the world. He also invested in the aircraft industry, and opened the first airport in Zagreb. He died at the age of only 50.
