The Pen That Crossed the World
The Pen That Crossed the World
1930–1950Budapest to Buenos AiresInventions & business
A Jewish journalist fleeing Hitler’s Europe carried a new kind of pen to Buenos Aires — and the world still writes with his idea.
Reading level
The same true story, told at three lengths. Pick one to read, close your eyes, and tell it back in your own words.
172 words · about 1 min to read · retell it in about 1 minutes
In the 1930s, a Hungarian newspaper man named László Bíró had a problem every writer knows. Fountain pens leaked and smudged. Their slow ink took forever to dry.
But Bíró noticed something: the ink used to print newspapers dried almost at once. It was too thick for a fountain pen. So he dreamed up a new kind of pen. A tiny metal ball sits at the tip. As you write, the ball turns and rolls thick ink onto the paper.
Then danger came. Bíró was Jewish, and his country’s government was allying itself with Nazi Germany. He escaped to France, and when German troops occupied France, he fled again — all the way to Argentina.
There, with his brother and a friend, he built his pens. Legend says it soon found a use: airplane navigators needed a pen that could write high in the sky, where fountain pens failed.
One famous model of this ballpoint pen has sold more than a hundred billion copies. In Argentina, people celebrate Inventors’ Day on Bíró’s birthday.
301 words · about 2 min to read · retell it in about 2 minutes
László Bíró earned his living as a journalist in Hungary, which meant fighting with fountain pens every day. The ink they used was slow and wet; it blotted and smeared. But Bíró noticed that the ink used to print newspapers dried quickly, leaving the page clean. There was just one problem: that ink was too thick to flow down a pen’s narrow channel.
The answer came, the story goes, from watching children play. Rolling marbles left a trail of water through a puddle — a ball, he thought, could pick up ink and roll it onto paper. With his brother György, a chemist, Bíró built a pen whose tip was a small ball free to turn in a socket: as it rolled, it collected thick ink from a cartridge and laid it on the page. He showed the first pens at the Budapest International Fair in 1931 and patented the design in Paris in 1938.
By then his country was becoming unsafe for a Jewish family. On the last day of 1938 — the day before a law made it illegal to take patents abroad — Bíró left Hungary for France. When German troops occupied France in 1940, he had to run again. By 1943 the brothers were in Argentina — a country whose president had met Bíró years earlier and noticed his unusual pen.
In Argentina the brothers and their friend Juan Jorge Meyne founded a company and named the pen Birome. According to legend, the pen found its moment: in wartime, airplane navigators needed something that would write at height, where fountain pens blotted and failed. The story goes that the British Royal Air Force ordered tens of thousands of them.
Today more than a hundred billion of one famous ballpoint model have been sold. In Argentina, Inventors’ Day falls on Bíró’s birthday.
473 words · about 2 min to read · retell it in about 4 minutes
The ballpoint pen has a strange family tree. An American inventor named John J. Loud patented the first one in 1888, good for marking leather and useless for paper. The pen you have actually used descends from László József Bíró — a Budapest-born Jewish journalist who entered history twice: once as an inventor, once as a refugee.
Working as the editor of a cultural magazine, Bíró was struck by a mismatch. The ink used to print newspapers dried quickly and left the paper smudge-free, but it was far too viscous to flow into a fountain pen’s tip. Legend places the breakthrough at a puddle: children rolling marbles left wet trails on dry ground, and Bíró wondered why ink could not ride a rolling ball. The engineering took years and his brother György’s skill as a chemist. Together with György and a small team, László developed an ink with exactly the right thickness — not so thin it blotted, not so thick it dried in the pen — and, with his brother, a tip whose ball turned freely in its socket, picking up ink from a cartridge and depositing it line by line. He showed a first version at the Budapest trade fair in 1931 and patented the design in Paris in 1938.
The patent date was almost the whole story. Hungary’s Horthy regime was allied with Nazi Germany and pursued anti-Semitic policies; on the last day of 1938, the final day before a law made it illegal to take patents abroad, Bíró moved his family to France. German troops arrived in 1940. Then came a lucky coincidence: years earlier, on vacation in Yugoslavia, Argentina’s president Agustín Pedro Justo had met the inventor and noticed his unusual writing implement. By 1943, after an invitation from Justo, the brothers were in Argentina, where with their friend Juan Jorge Meyne they founded a company and branded the pen Birome.
Legend says war made the invention famous. Airplane navigators worked with pens that failed and blotted at altitude; the biro worked excellently in the air. According to legend that the German Patent Office itself repeats with caution, a British businessman sold the pens to the Royal Air Force, which is said to have ordered thirty thousand of them in 1943.
Then came the bittersweet endgame. Marcel Bich founded the company BIC and launched the Cristal in 1950, a transparent plastic classic that has sold over one hundred billion units and sits in New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Bíró, who had sold his rights in a tangle of deals, grew old in Buenos Aires — where his birthday, 29 September, is celebrated as Inventors’ Day. He is reported to have said that with more business acumen he could have made a huge fortune, but that the pen’s victory over the pencil and fountain pen made him forget the riches he missed.
Read it once, close the page, and tell it back. The coach listens for pace, fillers and the facts.
Key facts and sources
While working as a journalist, Bíró noticed that newspaper printing ink dried quickly, leaving paper dry and smudge-free.
“While working as a journalist, Bíró noticed that the ink used in newspaper printing dried quickly, leaving the paper dry and smudge-free.” — László Bíró, Wikipedia
He tried the ink in a fountain pen but it was too viscous to flow into the tip.
“He tried using the same ink in a fountain pen, but found that it would not flow into the tip, as it was too viscous.” — László Bíró, Wikipedia
With his brother György, a chemist, he developed a tip with a ball free to turn in a socket that picked up viscous ink from a cartridge and deposited it on the paper.
“Working with his brother György, a chemist, he developed a new tip consisting of a ball that was free to turn in a socket, and as it turned it would pick up a special viscous ink from a cartridge and then roll to deposit it on the paper.” — László Bíró, Wikipedia
Bíró was born to a Hungarian Jewish family in Budapest in 1899.
“Bíró was born to a Hungarian Jewish family in Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary, within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in 1899” — László Bíró, Wikipedia
During World War II Bíró fled the Nazis with his brother and relocated to Argentina in 1943.
“During World War II, Bíró fled the Nazis with his brother. They relocated to Argentina in 1943” — László Bíró, Wikipedia
In Argentina the brothers and their friend Juan Jorge Meyne founded a company and called the pen Birome.
“Together with their friend Juan Jorge Meyne, they founded a company and called their pen “Birome” (a combination of their names).” — Ballpoint pen, German Patent and Trade Mark Office
Bic designs including the Bic Cristal have sold more than 100 billion ballpoint pens worldwide.
“The resulting designs, including the Bic Cristal, became the main products of his company Société Bic S.A., which has since sold more than 100 billion ballpoint pens worldwide.” — László Bíró, Wikipedia
Argentina’s Inventors’ Day is celebrated on Bíró’s birthday, 29 September.
“Argentina’s Inventors’ Day is celebrated on Bíró’s birthday, 29 September.” — László Bíró, Wikipedia
In 1930 Bíró observed children playing with marbles in a puddle, noticing the marbles left a trail of water in their wake.
“In 1930 he observed children playing with marbles in a puddle, noticing that the marbles left a trail of water in their wake.” — László Bíró, Wikipedia
Bíró presented the first production of the ballpoint pen at the Budapest International Fair in 1931.
“Bíró presented the first production of the ballpoint pen at the Budapest International Fair in 1931.” — László Bíró, Wikipedia
Bíró patented the invention in Paris in 1938.
“Bíró patented the invention in Paris in 1938.” — László Bíró, Wikipedia
On 31 December 1938, the last day before a law made it illegal to take patents abroad, Bíró left Hungary with his family for France.
“On 31 December 1938, the last day before a law came into force that made it illegal to take patents abroad, Bíró left Hungary with his family and went to France.” — Ballpoint pen, German Patent and Trade Mark Office
German troops occupied France in 1940, and Bíró fled to Argentina, whose president Agustín Pedro Justo he had met a few years earlier.
“But he couldn’t stay there for long either, as German troops occupied the country in 1940. By a lucky coincidence, Bíró had met Argentinian President Agustín Pedro Justo a few years earlier. He now fled to his country.” — Ballpoint pen, German Patent and Trade Mark Office
According to legend, British businessman Henry George Martin sold Bíró’s ballpoint pens on a large scale to the Royal Air Force.
“According to legend, the pen’s use in the war was an important milestone. British businessman Henry George Martin sold Bíró’s ballpoint pens on a large scale to the Royal Air Force.” — Ballpoint pen, German Patent and Trade Mark Office
The Air Force is said to have ordered 30,000 of the pens in 1943.
“The Air Force is said to have ordered 30,000 of them in 1943.” — Ballpoint pen, German Patent and Trade Mark Office
At that time airplane navigators worked with maps and pens, but fountain pens failed and regularly blotted at high altitudes.
“At that time, aeroplane navigators still worked with maps and pens, but fountain pens failed and regularly blotted at high altitudes.” — Ballpoint pen, German Patent and Trade Mark Office
The first ballpoint pen had been invented roughly 50 years earlier by John J. Loud but was not a commercial success.
“The first ballpoint pen had been invented roughly 50 years earlier by John J. Loud, but it was not a commercial success.” — László Bíró, Wikipedia
In 1888 John J. Loud applied for a ballpoint pen patent in the USA; his pen was too coarse for paper.
“In 1888, John J. Loud applied for a ballpoint pen patent in the USA” — Ballpoint pen, German Patent and Trade Mark Office
Bíró was working as the editor of a cultural magazine when he had the idea for his most important invention.
“What is certain is that he was working as the editor of a cultural magazine when he had the idea for his most important invention.” — Ballpoint pen, German Patent and Trade Mark Office
The ink had to be neither too liquid nor too viscous; with his brother, a chemist, and a small team, Bíró developed an ink of exactly the right consistency.
“The ink turned out to be the biggest problem in the development of the pens: it had to be neither too liquid nor too viscous, otherwise it would either dry too slowly on the paper or too quickly, whilst still inside the pen. Together with his brother György, a chemist, and a small team, Bíró developed an ink that had exactly the right consistency.” — Ballpoint pen, German Patent and Trade Mark Office
At the time Hungary was ruled by the Horthy regime, allied with Nazi Germany and pursuing anti-Semitic policy.
“At the time, Hungary was ruled by the Horthy regime, which was allied with Nazi Germany and also pursued an anti-Semitic policy.” — Ballpoint pen, German Patent and Trade Mark Office
Marcel Bich founded the company BIC and launched the Cristal in 1950.
“Bich founded the company BIC and launched the “Cristal” in 1950.” — Ballpoint pen, German Patent and Trade Mark Office
With over 100 billion units sold, the Cristal is one of the best-selling products in history and is in the collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
“With over 100 billion units sold, it is one of the best-selling products in history and has even made it into the collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art.” — Ballpoint pen, German Patent and Trade Mark Office
Bíró is reported to have said that with more business acumen he could have made a huge fortune, but that the biro overtaking the pencil and fountain pen made him forget the riches he missed.
“I often think that with a little more business acumen I could have made a huge fortune with my invention, but I harbour no grudges. The biros has become the most popular writing instrument in the world, it has overtaken the pencil and fountain pen, and that thought makes me forget the riches I missed out on.” — Ballpoint pen, German Patent and Trade Mark Office
Bíró died in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 24, 1985.
“László Bíró died in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 24, 1985.” — László Bíró, Wikipedia
A ballpoint pen is widely referred to as a biro in many countries, including the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and Italy.
“A ballpoint pen is widely referred to as a “biro” in many countries, including the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and Italy.” — László Bíró, Wikipedia
Bíró was an Argentina-naturalized, Hungary-born inventor who patented the first commercially successful modern ballpoint pen.
“was an Argentine, Hungary-born inventor who patented the first commercially successful modern ballpoint pen” — László Bíró, Wikipedia
The brothers relocated to Argentina in 1943 at the invitation of President Agustín Justo, who had met the inventor in Yugoslavia while on vacation and noticed the unusual writing implement.
“They relocated to Argentina in 1943 at the invitation of the President of Argentina, Agustin Justo, who met the inventor in Yugoslavia while on vacation, noticing the unusual writing implement.” — László Bíró, Wikipedia
Sources consulted for this story: László Bíró (Wikipedia, accessed 2026-10-25); Ballpoint pen (German Patent and Trade Mark Office, accessed 2026-10-25). Every story is checked against its sources before it is published — how we verify stories.
Why this story is worth telling
His pen overtook the fountain pen; the fortune went to others. He is reported to have said he held no grudge.
