Who invented the ballpoint pen The idea of using a ball to deliver ink to paper originated in the 19th century. The first patent was received by the American John Loud in 1888. His device used a rotating ball coated with ink, but it was imperfect: the ink sometimes flowed and sometimes did not write. In 1938, the Hungarian journalist László Bíró (in exile in Argentina) jointly with his brother, the chemist György, created a working model. He noticed that newspaper ink dries quickly and does not smear. The brothers used viscous ink and placed the ball in a socket that allowed it to rotate and apply ink evenly. On June 10, 1943 (or June 15 according to other data) they filed a patent, and in 1945 they launched mass production. Argentines call the pen "biro" (from the surname). In England, the ballpoint pen is still sometimes called "biro". Why June 10 The birthday of the ballpoint pen is considered to be June 10, 1943 — the date of the patent filing by the Bíró brothers in Argentina. It was on this day that a new era of writing began. Although there are disagreements, most sources lean towards this date. In 2026, it will be 83 years since the patent was filed. The celebration is unofficial, but it is marked by stationery manufacturers, pen collectors, and simply lovers of beautiful writing instruments. In schools, "keyboard-free day" is sometimes held, where students are asked to write only with a ballpoint pen. Museums hold exhibitions of old pens. How the ballpoint pen changed the world Before its invention, people wrote with feather pens, which required inkwells, blotting paper, and patience. They stained hands and tables. Feather pens were capricious, could leak, and the ink dried slowly. The ballpoint pen was a breakthrough: it did not leak (almost), the ink dried instantly, and it could be written even upside down (by pilots). In 1945, France purchased a license, and production took off. By the 1950s, ballpoint pens had replaced feather pens in mass use. Schools ... Read more