In June of 1943 the Bíró brothers, László and György, became owners of US Patent 2,390,636 – better known around the world as the ball point pen. The Hungarian inventors’ new pen, inspired by the quick-drying inks used by professional printers, was as remarkable as the first fountain pen had been the century before.
Before 1943, anyone who wanted to write a letter or scribble some notes on a piece of paper would have to use a fountain pen or pencil. Now the dominant writing instrument, the ballpoint pen was originally conceived and developed as a cleaner and more reliable alternative to the quill and fountain pens. Every day, millions are manufactured and sold worldwide. Low cost and its omnipresence assure that there is always a ballpoint pen within your reach.
In earlier years, many attempts by inventors led to failed patents as their inventions did not deliver the ink evenly and also had overflow and clogging issues.
1.) Pens are 5000 years old. Back in Ancient Egypt, ink was made of soot or red ochre mixed with vegetable gum and beeswax used in combination with reed straws.
2.) The world’s largest ballpoint pen was created by Acharya Makunuri Srinivasa in 2011. The pen measured 5.5 m (18 ft 0.53 in) and weighed 37.23 kg (82.08 lb 1.24 oz).
3.) On average, a pen can write approximately 45,000 words.
4.) Here’s a bit of a morbid fact: pen caps cause approximately over 100 deaths a year by people playing with the cap in their mouth and swallowing it.
5.) The most commonly owned promotional products among all consumers are writing instruments.
6.) In almost all European languages, ballpoint pens have the word “ball” in their name: “ballpoint” pen in English, “bolígrafo” in Spanish, “penna a sfera” in Italian and “Kugelschreiber” in German. The only country that is different is Argentina; there the pens are called “birami” in honour of the inventor Laszlo Biro.
7.) In 95% of cases, when a person receives a new pen, the first word that he or she will write is his/her own name!
8.) Here’s something interesting for 10% of the world population: Ballpoint pens don’t work as well for “lefties” because when they write, they push and do not pull the ball across the paper. Therefore the ink will never flow as well and their pens clog up more.
9.) Did you know that a mouse can fit through a hole the size of a ballpoint pen (6mm – 1/4 inch)?
10.) The “space pen” was, contrary to belief, invented in the private sector and was simply popularised by NASA! Paul C. Fisher and co. of the Fisher Pen Company had, by 1965, produced a pen that could work upside down, underwater, at temperatures from -45 C to 204 C degrees (-50 to 400 Fahrenheit), and even, you guessed it, in space. The official name of the pen “AG-7″!
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