The journey of ballpoint pens through history
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, the revered 19th century English author had once said, “Pen is mightier than sword.” One couldn’t agree more with this observation. Who doesn’t know that words are often more powerful and effective than any violent measure to bring about a change? Well, pens are the mighty tools that help us voice our words and there are many kinds of them, the most popular being ballpoint pens. Today, we will unravel the story of the chaotic journey of these pens through history.
The birth of ballpoint pen
The year was 1938 and a Hungarian journalist named Laszlo Biro made a striking observation: The ink used to print newspapers dried super quick and also left the papers smudge-free. Amazed by his discovery, he decided to put it to good use – design a pen using the same type of ink. But as soon as he used this ink into a regular (ink) pen nib, he realised that it was thicker and wouldn’t flow properly. Guess what he did then? He developed a pen with a new type of point by simply fitting it with a tiny ball bearing upon its tip. The trick was simple: Whenever the pen moved along a paper, this ball rotated and drew up the newspaper ink from the cartridge leaving its imprints on the said paper. Realising his invention was both brand-new and fascinating, Biro didn’t waste time and patented his creation the very same year. In fact, when he and his brother emigrated to Argentina, there too he got his patent in 1943. Little did he know then that people would end up fighting over his innovation!
The battle of ballpoint pen amidst World War II
Yes, you read that right. The World War II had begun just a year after Biro invented the ground-breaking ballpoint pen. But he only had patents in Hungary and Argentina. Taking that into advantage, the British government purchased the licensing rights to Biro’s patents while the World War II was ongoing. Why? Because the British Royal Air Force required a new type of pen that wouldn’t leak at higher altitudes (in fighter planes), unlike fountain pen. Well, the fame of ballpoint pen functioning hassle-free in all kinds of environment created quite a news!
Now, guess what? The Argentines weren’t really happy with the way the British conducted their business with ballpoint pen. Since Biro was the citizen of Argentina, they claimed its rights. In fact, Argentina’s topmost pen manufacturer called Eterpen Company convinced Biro and ended up commercialising the pen. They even marketed it globally saying that the special writing tool could work for a year at a stretch without the need of refill. To spread the pen across South America, in May 1945, the Eterpen Company merged with another famous pen maker Eberhard-Faber and acquired exclusive rights to Biro’s pen. The pen came to be known as “Eversharp CA” where CA meant “capillary action” (drawing of liquid against gravity into or up narrow opening due to surface tension). No sooner did the pen enter the public scene, than it witnessed a never-seen-before sales record.
The World War II was still ongoing and just a month after Eversharp CA was introduced, a Chicago-based businessman named Milton Reynolds noticed it in a store while visiting Buenos Aires and decided to buy it to test its potential. Amazed by its smoothness and speed, he purchased a box of samples and returned to the USA. Do you know what he did? He set up the renowned Reynolds International Pen Company, while completely ignoring Eversharp’s patent rights. Reynolds not only stole Eversharp’s idea but also started selling it by October 1945. Deemed as “Reynolds Rocket,” the ballpoint pen made it to all stationery stores in New York City and almost immediately made a name for itself. In fact, on day one itself, the pen priced at USD 12.50 sold more than 8000 samples as Reynolds claimed it could “write under water”, was smear-proof and needed no refill for up to 2 years. Oh, and all this while, Argentina and USA were in court fighting for the ultimate rights of ballpoint pen!
Are you wondering whether Britain was part of this battle too? Of course! In fact, Britain’s Miles-Martin Pen Company collaborated with the government and had brought out their first batch of ballpoint pens to celebrate the end of World War II as well as Christmas in the year end.
Parker Pens came, saw and conquered
While the legal fight for the rights of ballpoint pen continued between Eversharp and Reynolds, the quality of both their products dropped amidst frequent price wars. While Reynolds’ pen leaked, Eversharp pen had no speed. As a result, sales nosedived overnight and they both incurred massive losses.
Meanwhile, French manufacturer Parker Pens came up with their first ballpoint pen titled ‘The Jotter’ in early 1954. The pen could write five times better than both Reynolds and Eversharp. It was smoother, faster and more long-lasting. In addition, it also had a variety of point sizes to choose from, a well-rotating cartridge, and huge-capacity ink refills, with the first refill free. Best part was it had a minimum price of USD 2.95. Needless to say, since 1950s, Parker ruled the ballpoint pen market, globally.