Eduard Slavoljub Penkala was born on 20th of April in 1871 in Hungary (today Slovakia). He is the one of the most important discoverers of the early 20th century. After graduation at the University of Vienna and Dresden, he graduated on the Royal Institute of Technology in Dresden. He wrote his doctoral dissertation in the field of organic chemistry. In Zagreb, he began his brilliant career.

His opus includes the 70-80 Inventions of mechanics, chemistry, physics, aeronautics (Air Force), etc. One of his first inventions was a “termofor” Invention that has taken wide use in both medicine and home treatment. After the first invention, it was clear that his career will be significant. He continued to work on his inventions and parallel to this, he worked on inventions mechanical pens and pencils. The first mechanical pencil in the world is patented 24th January 1906. Shortly after that patent, in 1907. he patented the first fountain pen in the world with solid ink. Patents are registered in more than 35 countries worldwide. The increasing of market demand has increased production as well, and in the 1906th the cooperation between Edmund Moster and Slavoljub Penkala began. That cooperation was led to the creation the company  Penkala-Edmund and a joint stock company Penkala-Edmund Moster d.d. Shortly after the 1926. It becomes a one of the biggest manufactory of writing utensils in the world, based in Zagreb.

 

In some countries in the Balkans his name “Penkala” is still used as a synonym for the fountain pen.

Engineer Penkala has worked intensively in the field of aeronautics. He demonstrated a new patent to the Royal patent office in Budapest in 1907 – airbag. And immediately after that a patent for an airplane. Penkala was very diligent in his work in the field of aeronautics, and in 1910. the plane constructed by his own drawings and sketches. The same year, the plane was flown for the first time. During the construction of an airplane, also hangar was built on a military playground and that leads to open of a first airport in Croatia.

He made ​​a great contribution in the field of chemistry and some of the patents were: The product against all types of rheumatic pain, then the first laundry detergent, and chemicals for wood impregnation, wax seals, etc.

In his striving to develop the industry, he suddenly dies on the 5th of February in 1922. In this way, the research has completed in the area of patent work of that genius.