Eighty years ago this week, a simple yet ingenious invention quietly entered the marketplace in New York and went on to rewrite the very act of writing. On October 29, 1945, the Biro — the world’s first practical ballpoint pen — made its debut, transforming communication as radically as Gutenberg’s printing press did centuries earlier.
What began as a clever solution to a journalist’s frustration has become one of the most ubiquitous tools on the planet. Today, billions of ballpoint pens are sold annually. One model from a single company moves at the astonishing rate of 57 pens per second — proof of the pen’s enduring power and practicality.
From Frustration to Invention
The Biro’s story begins in the 1930s with Hungarian newspaper editor László BÃró. Exasperated by fountain pens that leaked, blotted, and smudged, BÃró noticed that newspaper ink dried instantly — no mess, no fuss. Teaming up with his chemist brother György, he engineered a pen that used a tiny steel ball to transfer fast-drying viscous ink onto paper.
After securing a patent in 1938, BÃró and his family fled Hungary’s fascist regime for Argentina, where he continued refining the design. A fateful meeting with Argentina’s President AugustÃn Pedro Justo helped him set up shop in Buenos Aires.
The Pen That Won the War
The Biro’s fortunes changed during World War II. The British Royal Air Force adopted it for its pilots, who needed pens that wouldn’t leak at high altitudes — something fountain pens could never manage. Rugged, reliable, and efficient, the Biro quickly proved its worth in the cockpit and beyond.
Post-War Boom and Global Success
After the war, American and British markets saw the pen’s commercial explosion. Early models were expensive — the Reynolds Rocket, for instance, cost $12.50 (around $190 today) — but that changed when Marcel Bich of France refined the design for mass production. His version, the Bic Cristal, became a global icon: simple, clear, and affordable.
Since then, the pen’s design has remained largely unchanged. From the Fisher Space Pen — capable of writing in zero gravity — to the gel pens and rollerballs of the late 20th century, innovation has continued to spin around BÃró’s simple ball-in-socket idea.
Writing, Reimagined
Before the Biro, writing was a ritual. Quills, inkwells, and blotters demanded patience and precision. The Biro democratized writing — anyone, anywhere could jot down a note, sketch an idea, or sign a document without ceremony.
In doing so, it subtly reshaped handwriting itself. The ease of ballpoint pens encouraged block lettering over cursive, forever changing the visual rhythm of the written word.
A Legacy in Every Drawer
Eight decades later, the Biro remains a symbol of everyday genius — a masterpiece of simplicity that continues to connect thoughts to paper in an instant. Whether signing treaties, scribbling shopping lists, or drafting dreams, it’s the tool that writes the story of modern life.
So next time your pen glides effortlessly across a page, take a moment to thank László BÃró — the man whose humble invention made the world flow a little more smoothly.
Originally published in 2021 and updated for 2025. New Atlas may earn commissions from affiliate links in this article.
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