Paul C. Fisher (October 10, 1913 – October 20, 2006) was an American inventor and politician. He invented the

Fisher Space Pen The Space Pen (also known as the Zero Gravity Pen), marketed by Fisher Space Pen Company, is a pen that uses pressurized ink cartridges and is able to write in zero gravity, underwater, over wet and greasy paper, at any angle, and in a very wide r ...

.DeBartolo, Anthony (1991-04-28

''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

''. Retrieved 2007-06-27. Fisher was born in Lebanon, Kansas, the son of Alice (Bales) and Carey Albert Fisher, a Methodist minister.

Fisher Space Pen

The Fisher Space Pen is a ballpoint pen which works with

thixotropic Thixotropy is a time-dependent shear thinning property. Certain gels or fluids that are thick or viscous under static conditions will flow (become thinner, less viscous) over time when shaken, agitated, shear-stressed, or otherwise stressed ( ...

ink and a pressurized ink cartridge. It can write on almost any substance ranging from butter to steel. It also can survive a wide array of temperatures, ranging from -50 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Fisher submitted his invention to

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

. After vigorous testing, NASA approved Fisher's Space Pen. They purchased four hundred units at a reported price of $6.00 per unit ($2,400). NASA purchased three different models: the 204, 207 and 208. The 204 had blue ink and a retraction button on the end. It was used on

Skylab Skylab was the first United States space station, launched by NASA, occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974. It was operated by three separate three-astronaut crews: Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4. Major operations ...

and the Apollo missions. It was later replaced by the 207. The 207 model was similar to the 204, except the retraction button had been moved to the side. The 208 model was the same as the 207, except it wrote in black ink. NASA modified these pens for use in the space program.

Velcro Velcro, officially known as Velcro IP Holdings LLC and trading as Velcro Companies, is a British privately held company, founded by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral in the 1950s. It is the original manufacturer of hook-and-loop fast ...

patches were added along with a standard metal clip to facilitate the storage and attachment of the pen.

Political activities

Fisher unsuccessfully ran for the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

presidential nomination in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Jan ...

Gregg, Hug
"New Hampshire Almanac: First-In-The-Nation Presidential Primary"
NH.gov. Retrieved 2010-07-01. and in

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

.US President - D Primaries (1968)
Ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2010-07-01. In 1960, he was the only candidate besides

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

on the New Hampshire primary ballot, although other candidates were also in the race and on the ballot in other states. He also made two unsuccessful bids for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, first in 1954 and then in 1986. Fisher proposed the replacement of all existing

sales Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. The seller, or the provider of the goods or services, completes a sale in ...

and

income taxes An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Ta ...

with a single graduated asset tax on those with assets of at least $100,000. His 1988 book, ''The Plan: To Restore the Constitution and Help Us All Get Out Of Debt'' (), promoted this idea.

Death

Fisher died at his home on October 20, 2006, in

Boulder City, Nevada Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately southeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Boulder City was 14,885. The city took its name from Boulder Canyon ( ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fisher, Paul C. 1913 births 2006 deaths American manufacturing businesspeople American political writers American male non-fiction writers People from Boulder City, Nevada Candidates in the 1960 United States presidential election Candidates in the 1968 United States presidential election 20th-century American politicians People from Smith County, Kansas 20th-century American inventors 20th-century American male writers Kansas Democrats Nevada Democrats Inventors from Kansas