Magyar News, 2004. szeptember-2005. augusztus (15. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2005-03-01 / 7. szám
BALLPOINTm I A HUNGARIAN, LÁSZLÓ JÓZSEF BÍRÓ INVENTED IT FOR ALL MANKIND _____ In the days when the fountain pen was the writing equipment that could be taken away from the inkwell, and the mark it made wasn’t easy to erase as the pencil writing. Besides the fountain pen was an expensive instrument. Not everybody could afford it. Today one could make a good marking with very little money, let them be a child or a laborer, or a professor. Sometime one might step on it on the sidewalk, or some other place that is not connected to any writing. This wonder is called the ballpoint pen. It is like a pencil or a pen, one could by it by the dozens and do not go bankrupt and the ink will make it possible to write, draw a line five miles long. Pretty good. Well, what do the Hungarians have to do with it? They might as well call it the Hungarian pen. But with all respect it was, and still is, called the BIRO PEN. That is good enough for Hungarian. Biro László invented this instrument that is sold all over the world by the millions each day. What do we know about it? László József Bíró was born in Budapest on September 19th, 1899. He gained a place at the Medical School in Budapest but did not graduate. For a time he dabbled with hypnosis then he got a job as a clerk with an oil company. He also went to motor racing. His interest opened the road for an invention if his, a new type of gear lever. His imagination carried him to the field of arts. He became a successful painter. It is interesting that Biro’s attention to something like the ballpoint pen wasn’t inspired by any technical influence. He took up journalism. He was the editor of the journal "Hongrie-Magyarország-Hungary" then he worked for a newspaper “Előtte". In his work he was frequently irritated by the fountain pen that dried on him, ran out of ink, and all other difficulties. He began to think about how could the fountain pen be replaced with a more convenient writing implement. Biro noticed that the technique used in printing the papers gave a continuous and uniform application of the ink. He figured that it could be adapted for use in a pen. He wanted a slender tube filled with ink and a small ball bearing, replacing the roller of the printing press, at the end would be able to apply the ink continuously to the paper. Several years of experimentation followed. Interesting, that Biro at the Budapest International Fair in 1931 introduced his ballpoint pen. Like all inventions the ballpoint pen had its precursors and required the input of other experts and money. For the ballpoint pen to work well, precision ball bearings were needed. A Swedish company was able to produce what Biro required. Another problem was to produce ink of suitable viscosity. Initially Biro’s brother, György a chemist, helped to resolve this problem. His experimentation was continued in the workshops of the firm of Goy and Kovalszky. Andor Goy from that com-One of the BIC factories, producers of the ballpoint pen Strangely, we couldn't find a better picture of Biro (left). The drawings are made for the patent application. Below, on a big screen one could see the image of the ballpoint blown up. pany played an important role in the development of mass production. Goy’s name was connected with the "Gopen". In the 1950s it was introduced in Budapest and was a favorite. Biro actually patented his pen in 1938, then in Argentina renewed the patent on June 10, 1943 for the practical pen. This time they were in Argentina It so happened that one summer day while vacationing at the seashore, the Biro brothers met an interesting elderly gentleman, Augustine Justo, who happened to be the president of Argentina. After the brothers showed him their model of a ballpoint pen, President Justo urged them to set up a factory in Argentina. Once in Argentina, the Biros found several investors willing to finance their invention, and in 1943 they had set up a manufacturing plant. Unfortunately, the pens were a spectacular failure. The Biro pen, like the designs that had preceded it, depended on gravity for the ink to flow to the roller ball. This meant that the pens Page 2
