September 30, 2016 (Friday)
If you are like most of us who use computers, your first screen each day says, “Google.” Google uses its logo each day to promote ideas or events. Yesterday’s emphasis was the ball point pen because September 29 would have been the 117th birthday of its inventor, a fellow by the name of Biro.
The ball point pen was introduced in Great Britain during WW2, was called a “Biro,” and goes by that name up to the present day. In the USA, of course, it’s known as the ball point pen.
Before the days of the ball point, in my school days, we studied penmanship, and had desks with holes in them made for ink wells. Each student was required to have a pen staff, and extra pen points. As I recall, it was a messy situation at times.
As I grew older, I was allowed to use a fountain pen, which featured an internal bladder, which was filled with ink. The ink was automatically dispensed as the pen was used for writing. I ruined many shirts with my fountain pens, which would sometimes leak. An ink spot on the shirt pocket was a common sight in my schools when growing up.
And then came the ball point pen. If I remember correctly, I got my first ball point pen in the early 1950s. Quite an innovation for taking lecture notes in classes.
You probably have one or more ball points. Some of them cost just pennies and are sold in packages of several. Others cost thousands because they are made of gold. They seem to be here to stay. Hardly ever see a fountain pen these days, and if we do, it’s probably an antique.