A New Kind of Fountain Pen

In 1888, John J. Loud invented a pen that could be used to write on rough surfaces such as wood and wrapping paper. He was issued a patent for his invention but quickly found out it had limited purpose outside of marking rough or coarse surfaces. Others tried to patent similar inventions with the intent of making something that worked on all surfaces equally well. But one man actually succeeded: Laszlo Biro from Hungary. Today, Americans refer to most disposable ballpoint pens as Bicks, after the company that produces most of them. Over in England, they're called Biro's, named for the man who brought them to the mainstream.