January 6, 1714 - English engineer Henry Mill received patent from Queen Anne for a "Machine for Transcribing Letters" ("An artificial machine or method for the impressing or transcribing of letters singly or progressively one after another, as in writing, whereby all writing whatever may be engrossed in paper or parchment so neat and exact as not to be distinguished from print"); typewriter (never succeeded in perfecting invention, died with him)

1761-1784 - Cabinet-maker Kaspar Faber produced his first pencils, the "Bleyweißsteffte", in Stein near Nuremberg; 1784-1810 -  2nd generation business named "A.W. Faber" (named after Kaspar´s son Anton Wilhelm); 1839-1846 - Lothar von Faber (22) took over Stein pencil factory; produced hexagonal pencil, developed first German quality pencils. marked them with "A. W. Faber" name - first brand-name pencil in world; 1843 - "A.W. Faber" pencils sold for first time in America through New York agency; 1849 - first foreign branch founded in New York; 1898 - Wilhelm von Faber´s eldest daughter and eventual heiress, Baroness Ottilie von Faber married Count Alexander zu Castell-Rüdenhausen (descended from one of Germany´s oldest noble families); new company named "FABER-CASTELL"; 1978 - 8th generation, Anton Wolfgang Count von Faber-Castell, took over helm at company; 2001 - opened 15th Faber-Castell production facility in Canton, China. 

1796 - John Letts established stationery business in arcades of London's Royal Exchange; 1812 - created world's first Commercial Diary; 2007 - manufactures over 22 million diaries, market leader supplying more than 40 per cent of all branded diaries in UK, exporting to over 75 countries;.

November 16, 1796 - Marc Isambard Brunel, English inventor and engineer, received a patent for "Ruling Books and Paper"; January 17, 1799 - received a patent for a "Machine for Writing with Two Pens".

October 7, 1806 - Englishman Ralph Wedgwood received first patent for carbon paper, "Stylographic Writer" (an "apparatus for producing duplicates of writings"); used carbonated paper; process of saturating thin paper with printer's ink, drying it between sheets of blotting paper; fitted in writing frame between two sheets of plain paper; metal stylus used to transfer ink onto plain paper; designed to help blind people write.

April 30, 1808 - Italian Pellegrini Turri built first practical typewriter for a blind friend.

November 22, 1809 - Peregrin Williamson, shoemaker from Baltimore, MD, received patent for a "Metallic Writing Pen"; first American patent for a pen.

1819 - John Scheffer received a British patent for a "Penographic or Writing Instrument" (half quill, half metal pen).

1831 - John Jacob Parker received a patent for first self-filling fountain pen.

November 15, 1837 - Isaac Pitman published system of shorthand, under title "Stenographic Sound-Hand."

September 30, 1841 - Samuel Slocum, of Poughkeepsie, NY, received a patent for a "Machine for Sticking Pins into Papers"; early stapler.

February 15, 1842 - Adhesive postage stamps were used for first time, in New York City.

August 26, 1843 - Charles Thurber, of Norwich, CT, received a patent for a "Machine for Printing" ("intended as a substitute for writing where writing with a pen is inconvenient by reason of incompetency in the performer");  typewriter; successfully typed as a roller provided inking; called a Chirographer, known as "Thurber's Patent Printer" - proposed as an aid for the blind but was slow to use, had little success; November 18, 1845 - received a patent for a "Mechanical Chirographer" ("Improvement in Writing-Machines"); typewriter precursor.

March 17, 1845 - Stephen Perry, of Messers Perry and Co. Rubber Co. Manufacturers in London, received a British patent for the  rubber band.

1846 - Alonzo T. Cross founded A. T. Cross Co., in Providence, RI, to manufacture elegantly tooled gold, silver casings for wooden pencils; 1916 - acquired by employee Walter R. Boss; June 27, 1950 - A. T. Cross Pencil Company registered "Cross" trademark first used in 1868 (mechanical pencils); 1971 - went public; America's oldest manufacturer of fine writing instruments.

January 23, 1849 - Jesse K. Park and Cornelius S. Watson, of New York, NY, received a U.S. patent for an "Machine for Making Envelops" ("a new and useful machine for embossing, folding, and gumming paper for envelops for letters, papers, cards, packages or any other like use").

February 5, 1850 - Du Bois D. Parmelee, of New Platz, NY, received a patent for a "Calculating-Machine" ("apparatus for making accurate additions of long columns of figures by means of a movable index or register acted upon by the keys of a finger board"); first key-operated adding machine.

June 21, 1853 - Dr. Russell L. Hawes, of Worcester, MA, received a patent for a "Machine for Folding and Making Envelops" ("one self-feeding machine the ability, when motion is given to it, to take one sheet of paper at one time, and carry it forward to impress or form a base, and thus to retain it until it is carried onward to the finisher, whence it is discharged, a finished or folded and pasted envelop"); three workers could produce over 2,000 envelopes in an hour.

March 9, 1858 - Albert Potts, of Philadelphia, PA, received a patent for a "Letter Box" ("Mode of Attaching Metallic Letter-Boxes to Lamp-Posts).

March 30, 1858 - Hymen L. Lipman, of Philadelphia, received patent for a "Pencil & Eraser" (a "new and useful Lead-Pencil and Eraser"); pencil with eraser attached on one end.

1859 - Charles Diebold founded Diebold Safe & Lock Company, manufactures safes and vaults in Cincinnati, Ohio; 1875 - produces world's largest bank vault for Wells Fargo; 1915 - changes name to Diebold, Incorporated to better reflect the company's gradual diversification into office products.

May 31, 1859 - Edson P. Clark, of Holyoke, MA, received a patent for "Improvement in Compositions for Pencils" ("new Composition for Pencils for Indelible Marking on Linen and Other Clothing and Other Articles...component parts of the composition are nitrate of silver, nitric acid, glue, lamp-black, and sugar").

April 21, 1863 - Samuel Ward Francis, of New York, NY, received a patent for a "Machine for Canceling Postage and Other Stamps" ("Improvements in Adhesive Stamp Canceling Instruments...to prevent postage or other adhesive stamps from being used more than once, by permanently defacing them").

July 10, 1866 - Edson P. Clark, of Northampton, MA, received a patent for an "Improved Indelible Pencil" ("Improvement in Pencils for Producing Indelible Writing on Linen and Other Fabrics...consists in the employment of gypsum and black lead incorporated together...in connection with nitrate of silver to be made into pencil-leads which are inclosed in wood or other material").

July 24, 1866 - George W. McGill, of Washington, DC, received a patent for an "Improvement in Metallic Paper Fasteners"; small, bendable brass paper fastener, precursor to modern staple; August 13, 1867 - received patent for a "Press for Attaching Paper Fasteners"; press to insert fastener into paper; February 12, 1879 - received patent for a "Device for Inserting Metallic-Staples in Paper, etc."; McGill Single-Stroke Staple Press (2 1/2 pounds, able to load single 1/2 inch wide wire staple at a time, drive it through several sheets of paper).

September 3, 1867 - M. Klein and Henry W. Wynne, of Keokuk, IA, received a patent for a "Fountain-Pen"; ink chamber and delivery system in the handle of the fountain pen.

March 5, 1868 - Charles H. Gould, of Birmingham, England, received a British patent for a stapler; invented wire stitcher for use in binding magazines; uncut wire, then cut, inserted in folds of magazine as well as folding wire ends over; considered the predecessor of modern stapler.

June 23, 1868 - Christopher Latham Sholes (former editor of the Milwaukee Sentinel), Carlos Glidden and Samuel W. Soule, all of Milwaukee, WI, received a patent for a "Type Writing Machine"; had only capital letters, fit in a box about 2 feet square and 6" high, paper inside the machine (typist couldn't tell if making mistakes); 1873 - sold rights for $12,000 to investor James Densmore (invented a tank car during Pennsylvania oil boom); 1874-1878 - manufactured by E. Remington & Sons in Ilion, NY; 1886 - five thousand Remington typewriters sold.

July 14, 1868 - Alvin J. Fellows of New Haven, Connecticut received a patent for an "Improvement in Tape Measures" (a "new and useful Improvement in Spring Measuring Tapes").

1874 - R. G. Dun of Dun & Bradstreet  was first to recognize the potential of the typewriter for business use - ordered 100 machines, at $55 apiece.

July 13, 1875 - David Brown, of Lebanon, NJ, received a patent for an "Apparatus for Transmission of Goods, Packages, etc." ("to provide for a simple, effective and cheap apparatus for transmission of goods, packages, money, etc. in general, but more particularly, as an expedient and cheap method of transmitting packages, bills and money in stores and salesrooms from the salesmen to the cashier, and vice versa, without the aid of now-employed cash-boys").

April 11, 1876 - John C. Zachos of New York City received a patent for "Type Writers and Phonotypic Notation"; stenotype (first patent for device for printing legible text in English alphabet at high reporting speed0; called new system of shorthand "stenophonotypy.

August 8, 1876 - Thomas A. Edison received a patent for "Autographic Printing" ("method of preparing autographic stencils for printing"); mimeograph.

September 11, 1883 - James G. Cutler, of Rochester, NY, received a patent for a "Letter-Box Connection" ("to enable persons upon the different floors of a building to deliver letters and other matter to be mailed into a letter-box other receptacle on the lower floor without the necessity of descending thereto"); mail chute.

October 30,1888 - John J. Loud, of Weymouth, MA, received first U.S. patent for a "Pen" ("an improved reservoir or fountain pen, especially useful...for marking on rough surfaces-wooden coarse wrapping paper, or other surfaces-where an ordinary pen could not be used"); nib of a fountain pen could not be used because it would split, splatter or catch.

October 20, 1925 - Inventor Clifton Chisholm, of Cleveland, OH, received patent for an "Embossing Machine" ("method of and apparatus for producing embossed printing strips"); compotype; patent was assigned to the American Multigraph Company Co.

May 27, 1930 - Richard G. Drew, of St. Paul, MN, a 3M Company engineer, received a patent for "Adhesive Tape" ("pressure energizable adhesives adhesive sheets or coatings, preferably water insoluble and normally non-drying"); cellulose adhesive tape,  originally designed to be an attractive, moisture-proof way to seal cellophane wrap for grocers and bakers); September 8, 1930 - 3M Company marketed the tape under the trademark "Scotch"; July 14, 1931 - Drew received a patent for a "Process for Preparing Adhesive Tape" (a division of 1930 patent); assigned to Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co., St. Paul, MN; 1932 - 3M introduced first heavy duty, countertop tape dispenser (7 pounds); November 9, 1948 - registered "Scotch" trademark first used in May 1931 (tape dispenser).

September 15, 1944 - László Jozsef Bíró, of Budapest, Hungary,  received a British patent for a "Writing Instrument" ("fountain pen of the kind having a marking-element in the form of a free ball, the ink conduit"); first practical ball-point pen; 1938 - invented a ball-point pen with a pressurized ink cartridge; 1945 - Eversharp Co. and Eberhard-Faber acquired the exclusive rights to Biro Pens of Argentina; November 22, 1946 - Biro ball point pens went on sale.

October 29, 1945 - First ball point pen in U.S. went on sale at Gimbels Department Stores for $12.95; June, 1945 - Chicago businessman Milton Reynolds, in Buenos Aires on unrelated business, saw the Biro pen in a store, recognized pen’s sales potential, bought a few as samples, returned to America, copied the product in four months (ignored patent rights of the Argentine manufacturer, Eversharp Company), started manufacturing the Reynolds Ball Point Pen; first day sales = $100,000; became a fad but leaked, skipped and was unreliable; 1948 - price dropped to less than 50 cents; 1951 - Reynolds' company failed.

(Art Metal-USA), Mildred L. Yahn (1982). The Rise and Fall of a Corporation: The Story of Art Metal, Inc., 1888-1971. (Busti, NY: M. L. Yahn, 169 p.). Art Metal--U.S.A., inc.--History; Office furniture industry--United States--History.

(Avery International), David L. Clark (1988). Avery International Corporation 50-year history, 1935-1985. (Pasadena, CA: Avery International Corp., 195 p.). Avery International--History; Label industry--History.

(Bic Pen Corp.), Laurence Bich (2001). Le Baron Bich: Un Homme de Pointe. (Paris, FR: Perrin, 206 p.). Bich, Marcel, 1914-1994; Société Bic; Bic Pen Corp; Ball-point pens; Businessmen--France--Biography; France--Biography.

(Dixon Ticonderoga Company), Brenda J. Elliott (1996). Best of Its Kind: Since 1795: The Incredible American Heritage of the Dixon Ticonderoga Company. (Heathrow, FL: Dixon Ticonderoga, 370 p.). Dixon Ticonderoga Company; Dixon, Joseph; Joseph Dixon Crucible Co.

(Fuji Xerox), edited by Japan Business History Institute; translated by Dynaword, Inc. (1983). Fuji Xerox, the First 20 Years, 1962-1982. (Tokyo, Japan: Fuji Xerox, 307 p.). Fuji Zerokkusu Kabushiki Kaisha--History.

(HON Industries), C. Maxwell Stanley, James H. Soltow (1991). The HON Story: A History of HON Industries, 1944-1985. (Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press, 197 p.). HON Industries--History; Office furniture industry--United States--History; Conglomerate corporations--United States--History; New business enterprises--United States--Case studies; Entrepreneurship--United States--Case studies; Success in business--United States--Case studies.

(LaserMonks), Sarah Caniglia and Cindy Griffith (2008). LaserMonks. (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 224 p). Run MonkHelper Marketing, Inc., manages LaserMonks.com on monks' behalf. LaserMonks (Firm); Printing ink industry--United States; Toners (Xerography) industry--United States; Office equipment and supplies industry--United States. 5 Cistercian monks created $10 million Internet business: 1) create market space, reshape reasons why consumers purchase, 2) provide excellent customer care, 3) find, capitalize on unique strengths, 4) streamline operations, 5) manage success: balance profits and giving, keep customers happy, stay true to mission.

(Office Depot), Jeffrey Rodengen (2006). Office Depot: Taking Care of Business: The First 20 Years. (Fort Lauderdale, FL: Write Stuff Enterprises, 176 p.). Office Depot (Firm)--History; Office equipment and supplies industry--United States--History. More office products,  services to more customers in more countries than any other company; annual sales of nearly $15 billion; leader in every distribution channel (retail stores, contract delivery, catalogs, e-commerce).

(Olivetti Ing. C. & c.), Donatella Ronci; prefazione di Franco Ferrarotti (1980). Olivetti, Anni '50: Patronalsocialismo, Lotte Operaie e Movimento Comunità. (Milano, Italy: F. Angeli, 168 p.). Ing. C. Olivetti & C.; Office equipment and supplies industry--Italy--Ivrea--Employees; Industrial relations--Italy--Ivrea.

(Olivetti Ing. C. & c.), Valerio Ochetto (1985). Adriano Olivetti. (Milano, Italy: A. Mondadori, 331 p.). Olivetti, Adriano; Ing. C. Olivetti & c.--History; Electronic office machine industry--Italy--History; Businesspeople--Italy--Biography. First portable typewriter, which was launched in 1932 as the MP1.

(Olivetti Ing. C. & c.), Chiara Ricciardelli; presentazione di Laura Olivetti; introduzione di Michele La Rosa (2001). Olivetti: Una Storia, un Sogno Ancora da Scrivere: la Sociologia del Lavoro Italiana Nell'esperienza di Ivrea. (Milano, Italy: FrancoAngeli, 140 p.). Olivetti, Adriano; Ing. C. Olivetti & c.--History; Movimento comunitá (Italy); Businessmen--Italy--Biography; Philanthropists--Italy--Biography; Industrial sociology--Italy--Ivrea; Electronic office machine industry--Italy--History; Architecture--Italy--Ivrea--History; Education--Social aspects--Italy--History; Ivrea (Italy)--History; Ivrea (Italy)--Economic conditions.

(Olivetti Ing. C. & c.), Franco Ferrarotti; a cura di Giuliana Gemelli (2001). Un Imprenditore di Idee: Una Testimonianza su Adriano Olivetti. (Milano, Italy: Edizioni di Comunità, 146 p.). Olivetti, Adriano; Businessmen--Italy--Biography.

(Pencil), Brenda J. Elliott (1996). Best of Its Kind: "Since 1795" the Incredible American Heritage of the Dixon Ticonderoga Company. (Heathrow, FL: Dixon Ticonderoga, 370 p.).

(Pencil), Henry Petroski (1990). The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance. (New York, NY: Knopf, 434 p.). Academic (Professor of Civil Engineering/History at Duke). Pencil. History of a prolific writing instrument.

(Pitney-Bowes), William Cahn (1961). The Story of Pitney-Bowes. (New York, NY: Harper, 262 p.). Pitney-Bowes, inc.; Postal service --Metered mail.

(Rank Xerox), Phillip Judkins, David West, John Drew (1985). Networking in Organisations: The Rank Xerox Experiment. (Brookfield, V: Gower, 141 p.). Rank Xerox (Firm); Local area networks (Computer networks).

(Typewriter), Michael H. Adler (1973). The Writing Machine. (London, UK: George Allen & Unwin Ltd. Typewriter. History of the typewriter.

(Typewriter), Wilfred A. Beeching (1974). Century of the Typewriter. (New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 276 p.). Typewriters--History.

(Typewriter), Richard N. Current (1954). The Typewriter and the Men who Made It. (Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 149 p.). Typewriters--History.

(Typewriter), Arthur Toye Foulke (1961). Mr. Typewriter; A Biography of Christopher Latham Sholes. (Boston, MA: Christopher Pub. House, 134 p.). Sholes, Christopher Latham, 1819-1890; Typewriters--History. Received June 23, 1868 patent for a "Type Writing Machine".

(Typewriter), Darren Wershler-Henry (2007). The Iron Whim: A Fragmented History of Typewriting. (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 331 p.). Assistant Professor in the Communication Studies Department (Wilfrid Laurier University). Typewriting--History; Typewriters--History. History of writing culture, technology; various attempts over years to change keyboard configuration; role played in writer's life.

(Windows NT), G. Pascal Zachary (1994). Show-Stopper!: The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft. (New York, NY: Free Press, 312 p.). Microsoft Corporation; Microsoft Windows NT; Operating systems (Computers); Computer software--Development--History.

(Woodbury and Company), Edited by Kent P. Ljungquist, James P. Hanlan, and Rodney G. Obien (2007). The History of Woodbury and Company. (New York, NY: Peter Lang, 240 p.). Professor of English (Worcester Polytechnic Institute); Professor of History (WPI); Curator of Special Collections and Archives at Gordon Library (WPI). Woodbury and Company--History. Founded 1879; largest commercial engraver in central New England in 1890s; 2002 - closed after 123 years.

(Xerox), Gary Jacobson, John Hillkirk (1986). Xerox: American Samurai. (New York, NY: Macmillan, 338 p.). Xerox Corporation; Copying machine industry--United States; Competition, International.

(Xerox), Douglas K. Smith and Robert C. Alexander (1988). Fumbling the Future: How Xerox Invented, Then Ignored, the First Personal Computer. (New York, NY: Morrow, 274 p.). Xerox Corporation; Microcomputers.

(Xerox), David T. Kearns, David A. Nadler (1992). Prophets in the Dark: How Xerox Reinvented Itself and Beat Back the Japanese. (New York, NY: HarperBusiness, 334 p.). Xerox Corporation--Management; Corporate turnarounds--United States--Case studies; Copying machine industry--United States--Management; Copying machine industry--Japan--Management.

(Xerox), David Dorsey (1994). The Force. (New York, NY: Random House, 315 p.). Xerox Corporation, Sales Executives, Office Equipment Industry. 

(Xerox), David Owen (2004). Copies in Seconds: How a Lone Inventor and an Unknown Company Created the Biggest Communication Breakthrough Since Gutenberg: Chester Carlson and the Birth of the Xerox Machine. (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 320 p.). Writer (New Yorker magazine). Carlson, Chester Floyd, 1906-1968; Inventors; Xerography--History.

(Xerox), Charles D. Ellis (2006). Joe Wilson and the Creation of Xerox. (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 396 p.). Former Managing Partner of Greenwich Associates, Leading Worldwide Strategy Consultant to the Financial Services Industry. Wilson, Joseph C. (Joseph Chamberlain), 1909-1971; Xerox Corporation--History; Copying machine industry--United States--History.  Took incredible risk backing completely untested technology; paid off only after decades of tireless work; how honest, compassionate leadership can create profits, benefit the community.

Thomas A. Russo (2000). Office Collectibles: 100 Years of Business Technology (Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub., 224 p.). Atglen, PA. Office equipment and supplies; Office equipment and supplies--Pictorial works. 

Carol Willlis (1995). Form Follows Finance: Skyscrapers and Skylines in New York and Chicago. (New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 217 p.). Founding Director of the Skyscraper Museum in New York City. Office buildings--New York (State)--New York; Office buildings--New York (State)--New York--Economic aspects; Office buildings--Illinois--Chicago; Office buildings--Illinois--Chicago--Economic aspects. 

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Business History Links

Cumberland Pencil Museum                                              http://www.pencils.co.uk/home.asp                                          History of pencils and pencil making.

The Early History of the Fountain Pen                                     http://www.penlovers.com/res_history.htm                          History of the fountain pen compiled from several sources, principally the out-of-print book, "Western Writing Instruments" by Michael Finlay.

Early Office Museum                                                    http://www.officemuseum.com                                                     The Early Office Museum™engages in research on the history and evolution of offices, antique office machines and equipment, and business technology based on original documents, artifacts, and photographs The Museum is a web site and does not have a collection of office machines, other artifacts, or a building.

Lyons Electronic Office (LEO)                                           http://is2.lse.ac.uk/leo/About_LEO.htm                                        November 17 1951 - J. Lyons company began weekly operation of a bakery valuations job on a computer called LEO (Lyons Electronic Office); first business application to go live on a stored program computer anywhere in the world.