National Ballpoint Pen Day: Memorable in More Ways Than One
Just a sampling of advertising ballpoint pens in the SHC collections This past week we failed to recognize National Ballpoint Pen Day (June 10). In an effort to rectify this gross oversight, today we note the significance of this significant invention and the impact on local history. Patented in 1888 in Argentina, the ballpoint pen slowly spread throughout the world. On June 10, 1943, the international patent was filed with the United States Patent Office. Today the ballpoint pen sells more than 57 pens per second throughout the world. It is also the most widely used writing instrument in the world. It’s design simply puts a steel ball at the tip of a tube of ink. The rolling steel ball regulates the flow of ink for an even application to paper. An ingenious design, the inventors and early marketers overlooked a valuable sidelight of the pen as a marketing tool. Today, a multitude of pens carry advertising for businesses ...