Who Invented the First Ball Point Pen?

Ballpoint pens have been around since 1888. The first person to patent the idea was John J. Loud. The first device was difficult to use on paper because of the steel ball that was used. In the years that followed, many improvements were made to the prototype leading up to the ballpoint pen we use today.

The First Prototypes

In the thirty years after John J. Loud introduced his first ballpoint pen, there were 350 more patents that were never introduced to the public. The inventors of those pens couldn't find a way to stop the ink from leaking out of the device.

Ladislas and Georg Biro

Two brothers, Ladislas and Georg Biro, introduced their version of the ballpoint pen in 1935. They manufactured the pens in Argentina, and their version was no better than the first prototype.

Eversharp

After American flyers brought back the ideal of ballpoint pens they saw in Argentina, the United States asked American manufacturers to make a better prototype. Eversharp bought the rights from the Biro brothers for $500,000.

Milton Reynolds

While Eversharp was trying to improve the Biro design, a salesman from Chicago named Milton Reynolds successfully marketed the ballpoint pen. He got the idea from vacationing in Argentina, and since the Biros' patent had expired, he bypassed all the legalities while manufacturing his own.

Gimbels

Reynolds sold his new pen in the Gimbels retail store in 1945. Only 10,000 were in stock and they sold out the very first day.