Most of us can't imagine leaving home without a ballpoint pen tucked into our bag or briefcase; some of us even carry them in all colors. Convenient, easy-to-use and inexpensive, this writing instrument has allowed millions of people the world over to do away with fussy fountain pens. The idea of a pen that did not run out ink for a very long period is attributed to one John J. Load of the United States, who patented the first ballpoint pen in 1888, but never went into production. Hungarian brothers Laszlo and George Biro, who came along in 1938, made some changes to Load's original idea, applied for patents, and arranged to put the pen on the market. Their leak-proof ballpoint pen didn't have to be refilled for a year, and naturally, it was an instant hit. Today Biro is the generic name for ballpoint pens in most parts of the world. The Biro brothers sold the rights to their ballpoint pen to a British promoter called Henry George Martin, who began manufacturing it in Argentina under the name 'Eterpen'. In May 1945, patents for American production were licensed to Eversharp, Inc. and Eberhard Faber but they did not go into production immediately, to their loss. A shrewd businessman called Reynolds beat them to it. He patented a slightly different version of the ballpoint pen and promptly introduced it to the American and overseas markets. In the first three months, he sold two million pens. The ballpoint pen was refined over the years and several other famous players entered the fray. While Parker, Sheaffer and Waterman manufacture high-priced upscale varieties, the modern version of the Biro, the BIC Crystal, reportedly sells 14 million pieces across the world every day. Obviously, this is one invention that will never run out of steam - or ink. |
