*#1 EOTO The Ballpoint Pen #4

Throughout life, there are many subjects to be learned and taught. New ideas that are springboards for future inventions and designs. There is a common belief that knowledge makes you expand your thoughts, and the only way you can achieve new knowledge is to seek out learning. So on that note, I have decided to take a moment to teach you as a reader something you may not have known about. You never know; this knowledge could inspire your next great invention. 

In this blog post today, I will get to teach you about a wonderful creative instrument that has been adapted to many forms throughout the years. This instrument has seen many designs and many changes. You may be asking yourself what this wonderful instrument is... Well, dear reader, it is the ballpoint pen. 

The First Pen

Before we can talk about the ballpoint pen, we have to start with the invention of pens. The first pen in history was the Reed pen, which was created in 3200 BC in Egypt. This pen became the prototype for the pens we use today.

The next pen was the feather and ink method, followed by a calligraphy pen. The common problem with these pens was the mess created. Ink would get everywhere, ruining clothes, paper, and everything the ink came in contact with. 

With the mess and inconvenience of liquid ink, something had to change. People needed a pen that could solve the ink-related tragedies. This need would be met in 1888, when the first ballpoint pen patent began to take form. 

Small beginnings 

The ballpoint pen began its journey in 1888 with the great inventor John J. Loud. This great inventor planned to have a pen that could write on things other than paper but decided that the original pen design was not suitable.

There were many successful designs made, but the ink would not distribute properly, making the new pen design a failure. Clogging of the ink kept the pen from functioning at all. It seemed like this poor design would never be seen by the masses, and the ballpoint pen was laid to rest.

Taking Off

Two brothers continued this invention's tale. Lasio Biro designed a new patent, except instead of changing the design, he decided to change the ink. The ink he decided to use was the same as the newspaper ink at the time, which was extremely quick-drying. Lasio asked his brother Gyorgy, who was a chemist, to help him bring his design to life, and he agreed. They later went into business together in Argentina. 

After the brothers got the patent for the pen just right, they decided that they could make money by selling their patent. And that's what they did. Marcel Bich, who owned the Bic company, purchased the patent. Marcel Bich decided to make this product the main sale of his company, and sales took off. So much so that we still see Bic today in pen sales. 

Although this small device seemed to have a rough start, it became a mighty device. Many people will probably ask, "Why the ballpoint pen? Why did she pick that?" Well, I can answer that question pretty easily. The pen, although not the ballpoint specifically, changed the future of communication. So many wonderful pieces were written using the pen. This is why I believed it was most important to write on. I hope that this post enlightened you the way it did through my research process.