History Blog April Archive

History of Pens

By History Buff at 04/19/07 09:08

History of Pens:

• Reed pens: The Ancient Egyptians had developed writing on papyrus scrolls when scribes used thin reed brushes or reed pens from the Juncus Maritimus or sea rush.
• Quills: The Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947 on the northwest bank of the Dead Sea date back to around 100 BC.
• Metal nibs: Metal nibs appear to have very early origins. A pen with a bronze nib was found in the ruins of Pompei showing nibs must have been in use in the year 79
• Fountain pens: While a student in Paris, the Romanian inventor Petrache Poenaru invented the world's first fountain pen, an invention for which the French Government issued a patent on May 25, 1827
• Ballpoints: The first patent on a ballpoint pen was issued on October 30, 1888, to John J Loud[7]. In 1938, László Bíró, a Hungarian newspaper editor, with the help of his brother George, a chemist, began to work on designing new types of pens including one with a tiny ball in its tip that was free to turn in a socket.
• Felt tips: In the 1960s the fibre, or felt-tipped pen was invented by Yukio Horie of the Tokyo Stationery Company, Japan
• Rollerballs: Rollerball pens were introduced in the early 1980s. They make use of a mobile ball and liquid ink to produce a smoother line.