Stuff You Missed in History Class7 Jul 2025

The Humble Ballpoint Pen

Before the ballpoint pen, people used their hands, reeds, bamboo, brushes, quills, and eventually nibs to write or draw. But how did things evolve from there to get to things like the fountain pen, and eventually, a ballpoint?

Research:

"pen." Britannica Library, Encyclopædia Britannica, 26 Jul. 2021. libraries.state.ma.us/login?eburl=https%3A%2F%2Flibrary.eb.com&ebtarget=%2Flevels%2Freferencecenter%2Farticle%2Fpen%2F59036&ebboatid=9265652. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
"Pen." UXL Science, UXL, 2008. Gale In Context: Science, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CV2646000736/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=52ede570. Accessed 27 May 2025
“Patent of Mr. Frederick Bartholomew Folsch, of Oxford street, for improvements on instruments, and pens, to facilitate writing.” https://archive.org/details/jstor-30072521/mode/2up
Bayley, Stephen. “Obituary: Baron Marcel Bich.” The Independent. 6/1/1994. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-baron-marcel-bich-1419867.html
Bourque, Joseph. “The Waterman Pen.” American Heritage. Jul/Aug92, Vol. 43 Issue 4, p30.
Brachmann, Steve. “The Evolution of Modern Ballpoint Pen: A Patent History.” IP Watchdog. 12/10/2014. https://ipwatchdog.com/2014/12/10/the-evolution-of-modern-ballpoint-pen-a-patent-history/id=52550/
Cross, Alonzo T. “Stylographic Pen.” U.S. Patent 232804. 10/5/1880.
Daniels, Maygene. “The Ingenious Pen: American Writing Implements from the Eighteenth Century to the Twentieth.” The American Archivist , Summer, 1980, Vol. 43, No. 3 (Summer, 1980). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40292316
Di Nardo, Sam. “When was the Fountain Pen Invented: A Brief History.” Dayspring Pens. 1/2/2023. https://www.dayspringpens.com/blogs/the-jotted-line/when-was-the-fountain-pen-invented-a-brief-history-1
Di Nardo, Sam. “Who Invented the Ballpoint Pen?: A Brief History.” Sayspring Pens. s1/2/2023. https://www.dayspringpens.com/blogs/the-jotted-line/who-invented-the-ballpoint-pen-history?srsltid=AfmBOopQR061KHIKpgm_a0a0IHiTSiY_V-ahwIFQxU5MYzLLQ5vpHjXv
Dowling, Stephen. “The cheap pen that changed writing forever.” BBC. 10/29/2020. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201028-history-of-the-ballpoint-pen
German Patent and Trademark Office. “László Biró´s 125th birthday.” https://www.dpma.de/english/our_office/publications/milestones/inventionsthatmadehistory/kugelschreiber/index.html
Laszlo, Josef Biro. “Writing Instrument.” U.S. patent 2390636. 12/11/1945.
Loud, J.J. “Pen.” U.S. Patent 392046. 10/30/1888.
National inventors Hall of Fame. “Laszlo Josef Biro.” https://www.invent.org/inductees/laszlo-josef-biro
Riesberg, Van Vechton. “Fountain Pen.” U.S. Patent 1171652. 2/15/1916.
Rothman, Lily. “Why the Invention of the Ballpoint Pen Was Such a Big Deal.” Time. 10/29/2015. https://time.com/4083274/ballpoint-pen/
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. “#236 Birome Ballpoint Pen Collection.” https://www.asme.org/about-asme/engineering-history/landmarks/236-birome-ballpoint-pen-collection
Waterman, L.E. “Fountain Pen.” U.S. Patent 293545. 2/12/1884.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(2732)

Unearthed! In July 2026, Part 2

The wrap up of things unearthed in the second quarter of 2026 includes the potpourri category, lots of books and letters, shipwrecks, and neanderthals. Research: Addley, Esther. “Solstice-aligned 5,...

22 Jul 0s

Unearthed! In July 2026, Part 1

Part one of the mid-year coverage of things literally and figuratively unearthed in the last quarter includes updates, more updates, animals, edibles and potables, and accidental finds. Research: Add...

20 Jul 0s

SYMHC Classics: Raincoats

This 2023 episode covers how humans have worked on ways to make garments water resistant almost since they started to wear them. But figuring out how to manufacture a raincoat using rubber was a big b...

18 Jul 39min

Behind the Scenes Minis: Shoes, Shoes, Shoes!

Holly and Tracy discuss how frustrating Charles Goodyear could be. Then Holly talks a lot about shoes and how much she loves them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

17 Jul 30min

Running Through Sneaker History

The evolution from leather-soled shoes of the 19th century to the sneakers people wear today started slowly, then built momentum. Many of the big names in sneakers today got their start surprisingly e...

15 Jul 46min

Charles Goodyear and Vulcanized Rubber

Charles Goodyear's work is important to so many things we have in the 21st century. But his life and his work to create a stable rubber was full of problems -- many of them caused by Goodyear himself....

13 Jul 48min

SYMHC Classics: Penicillin

This 2022 episode covers the development of penicillin, which started – but definitely did not end – with the chance discovery of some mold in a petri dish. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

11 Jul 42min

Behind the Scenes Minis: Dorothy Everywhere

Tracy shares stories of her time in London. There is also a discussion of Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin’s marriage.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10 Jul 20min