Mr. Biro, Mr. Bigi, Mr. Lauder
Before the invention of the ballpoint pen, writing was a very risky thing. To write with a fountain pen, you had to constantly dip the pen into the ink bottle to fill it with water, you had to endure the constant leaks, and finally the black ink (invented in China) dried very slowly on the paper.
These problems were first solved by a tanner named John Lauder on October 30, 1888. He later registered a patent for the invention. He invented a pen with a rotating ball on the nib that continuously drew ink from an ink bag. Although the pen still leaks, writing on leather is much better than a fountain pen. Mr. Lauder did not make full use of its patent. If he had taken advantage of it, what we are talking about today should be "Lord" brand ballpoint pens instead of "Biro" brand ballpoint pens.
The Hungarian László Biro (1899-1985) initially studied medicine, but did not graduate. He worked as a hypnotist and a race car driver before pursuing a career in journalism.
Biro was curious about the difference in drying time between news ink and fountain pen ink, so he and his brother Georgi, who was engaged in chemistry, tried to install a small ball ball on the pen. The pen followed the ball ball. The movement of the pen guides the ink to the tip of the pen. From then on, the Biro ballpoint pen was born.
The brothers patented this ballpoint pen in 1938. In 1940, they immigrated to Argentina to escape Nazi persecution, and re-applied for a patent there in 1943. One of the early users of the pen was Britain's Royal Air Force, who found the pen worked well at high altitudes. Use by the Royal Air Force made the name "Biro" synonymous with ballpoint pens in Britain.
The first Biro ballpoint pens sold to the public were produced in 1945. At the same time, Biro licensed the method of producing pens to Frenchman Marcel Bichy.
Bihi named his company "BiC". After modifying Biro's pens, he established a mass production line. This means that the sales price of this pen will be extremely cheap.
Today, BiC ballpoint pens are the world leader in the ballpoint pen market, with annual sales of 1.38 billion euros. In 2005, they sold their 100 billionth pen. The best-selling BiCCristal ballpoint pen sells 14 million pieces every day.
In order to show their respect for Biro, the Argentines designate his birthday on September 29 every year as Argentina’s Inventors’ Day.