National Ballpoint Pen Day occurs annually on June 10. This national day is set the perfect opportunity to honor this humble writing utensil each year.
It has been almost 80 years since the patent was filed on this writing instrument and people use it in the millions each year.
Keep reading for a list of fun facts about ballpoint pens, and some creative ways to honor this June 10 national day.
What is a ballpoint pen?
The ball point pen is a writing utensil that uses a small rotating ball which is made of brass, steel or tungsten carbide. This ball disperses the ink to paper as a person writes.
The metal ball rolls and moves the ink from an internal reservoir and also acts as a buffer between this reservoir and the air outside the pen. This protects the ink from drying out quickly like fountain pen ink does.
The ballpoint pen was developed as a cheaper and more reliable alternative to the common fountain pens that were used before its invention.
Ballpoint pens are normally made with plastics or metal casings. Some are laden with silver, gold and diamonds and some have wooden casings.
How to observe National Ballpoint Pen Day
There are lots of ways to celebrate National Ballpoint Pen Day. Here are a few ideas to help honor this day.
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- Use your favorite ballpoint pen to make a doodle to honor the day.
- Send a letter to your favorite pen pal.
- Get a set of novelty ballpoint pens. You can get ones that look like tools, fish, and a banana!
- Practice cursive handwriting with your ballpoint pen.
- If you have a friend who loves writing, give them the gift of a luxury ballpoint pen today.
- Check your favorite stationery store to see if they have ballpoint pen specials today
- Put pen to paper for a handwritten letter instead of sending an email.
- Use the hashtag #NationalBallpointPenDay to spread the word about the day on social media.
Fun facts about ballpoint pens
Brush up on your knowledge of ballpoint pens with these fun facts.
- The patent for ballpoint pens was filed on June 10 in 1943. Prior to this, people who wanted to write a letter with ink used the fountain pen.
- The patent for the ballpoint pen is US Patent 2,390,636.
- There were several patents for ballpoint pens before the one which our current pens are based on. Many of them failed as patents because they did not deliver ink reliably, clogged easily or overflowed.
- The patent in 1943 was filed by Hungarians László Bíró and his brother Gyoorgy Biro.
- Ballpoint pens are also called biros.
- The ballpoint pen is now the dominant writing utensil.
- Millions of ballpoint pens are manufactured and sold every day.
- A normal ballpoint pen will last approximately 7 years for the average writer.
- Ballpoint pens are often used for promotional purposes, such as promoting a company or a political campaign.
- Ballpoint pens are now commonplace items but they used to be a utensil only the rich could afford.
- Gimbels’ Department Store sold ballpoint pens for $12.50 each in 1945. This is the equivalent of about $176 today!
- The average ballpoint pen can write about 50,000 words.
- The price of ballpoint pens can range from as little as 7 cents to over a million dollars!
More June 10 national days
If you enjoyed learning about National Ballpoint Pen Day you might be interested to know that there’s also several other national days celebrated on June 10. Here’s a list of all the June 10 national days:
- National Ballpoint Pen Day
- National Egg Roll Day
- National Black Cow Day
- National Herbs and Spices Day
- National Iced Tea Day
- Alcoholic Anonymous Founders’ Day
- Mom’s Equal Pay Day
If you’re looking for more reasons to celebrate this month, be sure to check out this list of national days in June and June food days.
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