The Invention Of The Ballpoint Pen And Its Effect On Literacy

Ballpoint pens are in all places! They're each, affordable and portable. Everytime you want to write one thing down, a ballpoint pen can often be found someplace shut by. We pick them up and carry them round with out even realizing we have them. Folks keep them in their purse, book luggage, cars, desks, offices and in classrooms. The reliability of the ballpoint pen is one thing most take as a right. With such a handy writing tool, it is easy to see why its invention has had a significant affect on literacy and education. Some could query the necessity of the ballpoint pen in today’s society, where one has access to computers, tablets and smartphones. Nevertheless, even with the invention of those new applied sciences, the ballpoint pen still has a place in houses, workplaces, companies and classrooms around the world.

Why It Was Invented

The ballpoint pen has a protracted history. Goad (2012) offers a quick summary of how Hungarian born, Ladislas Biro first invented the ballpoint pen. He constantly needed to dip his fountain pen in ink and it took a very very long time to dry. Biro was an editor of a paper and was annoyed with the fountain pen. In 1931 he showcased his invention on the Budapest International Truthful and patented his design. These first pens used gravity and would only work when holding the pen upright. He observed that newspaper ink dried immediately and determined to make use of this ink and create a greater pen design. Biro and his brother improved their design by growing a spring loaded piston in the pen. When the pen was pressed on, it will trigger the ball to roll and switch ink to the paper (Goad, 2012).


Although the pen still had leaking issues, they labored great for pilots as they did not leak at excessive altitudes. The British authorities bought the rights to the "Biro" pen and used them in the Air Force ("The history of,"). Milton Reynolds saw the Biro pen and knew that it can be well obtained in America. He used a prototype of the Biro pen and used it to create his own version. He called the primary American pen, the "Reynolds Rocket" and it bought for a very costly $12.50 at Gimbels in 1945 ("101 devices that,").


It was Marcel Bich that lastly brought the ballpoint pen into every single day use. Bich paid Ladislas Biro a royalty on his patent and manufactured his own pen in France in 1952, which he known as the "Ballpoint Bic" ("Ballpoint pens," 2006). These pens were cheap to make, disposable and may very well be mass produced. He solved the leakage drawback and was capable of lower prices. The demand for ballpoint pens finally took off. In 1965, the french authorities permitted them in faculties, with different countries quickly following swimsuit (Smith, 2008).

The Impact on Literacy

The ballpoint pen is an invention that changed people’s lives. Actually, the editors of In style Mechanics just lately ranked it number fifty four within the a hundred and one devices that modified the world ("101 devices that,"). Nevertheless, using ballpoint pens in the classroom was initially met with some controversy. In 1950 the Federal Teacher said,


"Ballpoint pens would be the wreck of training in our nation. College students use these devices then throw them away. The values of thrift and frugality are being discarded. Companies and banks won't ever permit such costly luxuries." (Collins and Halverson, p. 30)


The fact that pens would be simply discarded when one completed with them, appeared unheard of up to this point. Nevertheless, it is because of this that writing started to alter. College students could write down lecture notes effortlessly, with out having to dip their pen in ink. In classrooms, the ballpoint pen made writing faster and easier. The ballpoint pen could be found in a variety of locations that a fountain pen and ink couldn't. Writing turned extra portable. Individuals may write down their thoughts wherever and at any time when they needed to, as ballpoint pens have been simple to hold and might be found virtually wherever. There was no longer a need for individuals to fret about forgetting necessary info or concepts. They didn't have to fret about ink smudging their paper and could proceed to put pages on prime of one another whereas writing, with out having to look forward to the ink to dry. They might simply pick up a ballpoint pen from a desk, automobile, pocket or purse and immediately write down whatever data they needed.


We now dwell in an age where a smartphone is the new portable system that is carried around by individuals. It can be used to sort essential information, send photos immediately and communicate ideas with others. It was the ballpoint pen that created the idea which you could write anytime and anywhere. However, the significance of the ballpoint pen to literacy and training remains vital. Even with the usage of smartphones, ballpoint pens can nonetheless be present in just about each place. In reality, The Promotional Products Affiliation International (PPAI) not too long ago accomplished a survey on pen use. It found that 73% of individuals still carry writing devices with them and that 83% use ballpoint pens every day (Keyser, 2012). Companies are handing out these cheap pens as an ideal type of promoting. Their logos will be seen each time a person picks one up. Apparently, companies have allowed the luxurious that the Federal Instructor (1950) was so certain wouldn’t occur.

Conclusion

Mariana, オリジナルグッズ Biro’s daughter believes that despite some critics that say the ballpoint pen ruined handwriting skills, it was her father’s biggest invention and legacy. Mariano remembers listening to her father reply to these critics with, "Well, writing comes from the center. If we can assist the hand to carry out the task, what is improper with that? " (Smith, 2008) There at the moment are many different devices that can be utilized to file data. However, typically even when we are sitting in entrance of a computer display screen, we still use our helpful ballpoint pen to jot down notes. Once we obtain a cellphone call and need to take down a message, it isn't our smartphone we use, however the pen resting on the table. With the ballpoint pen, we don’t have to rely on batteries or must cost them. If a ballpoint pen runs out of ink, we merely choose up another one. Therefore, the ballpoint pen remains to be a beneficial writing device that can be utilized to record our "writings from the heart".

References:

Ballpoint pen. (2006, May 6). Retrieved from http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/ballpen.htm


Collins, A., & Halverson, R. (2009). Rethinking training within the age of expertise: The digital revolution and education in america . New York: Teacher’s School Press. Retrieved from http://1to1schools.internet/2012/06/ballpoint-pens-the-spoil-of-schooling-in-our-nation/


one hundred and one gadgets that modified the world. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/critiques/101-gadgets-that-changed-the-world


Goad, J. (2012). Why was the ball level pen invented?. Retrieved from http://janisgoad.hubpages.com/hub/Why-Was-the-Ball-Level-Pen-Invented


Keyser, N. (2012, August 16). Pens, still an efficient promotional marketing product. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Pens,-Still-an-Efficient-Promotional-Advertising and marketing-Product&id=7235616

Smith, D. (2008, June 15). It’s 70 in the present day, however our favorite pen just retains rolling alongside.