Marcel Bich Dies: The Man Who Made the Ballpoint Pen Universal
Marcel Bich died at 79, leaving behind the Bic empire he built by democratizing everyday products—the Cristal ballpoint pen, the disposable lighter, and the disposable razor. His obsession with manufacturing efficiency produced a pen that cost pennies to make and sold billions of units, proving that affordability at industrial scale could create a global consumer brand.
May 30, 1994
32 years ago
What Else Happened on May 30
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A tax collector named John Bampton demanded money from villagers in Brentwood, Essex—three times what they'd already paid. The men of Fobbing told him no. Just …
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