Do you know what is a non leaking high altitude writing stick?
If you must know, it is a patent!
And if you are patient I will tell you!
Also many times the first may not be the best! It will be the original but not the best!
So if you are not first do not feel bad! Then again fame is when it is a success!
Now, ‘a non leaking high altitude writing stick’ is nothing but a ball point pen!
Even I had written a blog on the supposed inventor of the ball point pen! ‘Supposed’ because he was not the first!
The ballpoint pen, in the present form was invented by Hungarian journalist László Bíró in 1938. He was inspired by the quick-drying ink used in newspaper printing and the rolling action of printing press rollers.
A ball point pen is probably one of the best inventions of the modern world since the fountain pens were a pain! They used to constantly smudge and leak and were a messy affair! I love my fountain pens but they are only when you have time and space and stability!
You can use them only to make a statement and I have an assortment of fountain pens only to either use the Pilot pen or the ball point pen when in need!
Now the story of the ‘famous’ inventor of ball point pen has the ‘inventor’ László Bíró’s. Biro was also frustrated with his fountain pen’s smudging, and aimed to create a pen that used quick-drying ink. He combined the rolling ball concept with a new, viscous ink, resulting in a pen that could write smoothly and consistently. This was in 1938!
Early ballpoint pens faced issues with ink flow and clogging. Bíró’s design, though a significant improvement, still needed further development to become widely accepted. Bíró’s invention gained traction after he and his brother fled to Argentina due to World War II. They patented their pen in Argentina and later in the US and Europe. The British Royal Air Force adopted it for its reliability in aircraft.
Bíró’s pens, initially sold as the “Eterpen” and “Birome,” eventually led to the global popularity of ballpoint pens. The pen’s affordability and ease of use made it a revolutionary writing instrument, replacing fountain pens for many! Even now these pens are famous and with more refinements and improvements they are here to stay!
All that is hunky dory but (you guessed it!) the one with the original patent and design for the pen and also being the first was John Jacob Loud who was an American inventor known for designing the first ballpoint pen which was much ealier in 1888!
His patent was for a similar design and was for coarse writing! The same tube with the ball in the end and a reservoir for ink! Unfortunately the patent and the invention was not commercially viable and lapsed into oblivion along with the invention only to be ‘rediscovered’ 22 years later!
So the next time you write with a ‘Biros’ pen; do spare a thought for John Jacob Loud; you do not have to do it LOUDLY!
You can listen to some nice music though loudly! Like ghatam by T H Vinayakram!
Shubh ratri!
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