Today we’re talking about an invaluable invention that changed how we write forever: the humble ballpoint pen, which first went on sale in the U.S. on this day in 1945. Before then, anyone writing anything in ink had to fend with a fountain pen; that meant a whole lot of smudges, stained hands, and accidental ink blots. Some people still love their old-timey writing instruments, of course, but even they’d admit the things are messy. While not the flashiest historical event, the ballpoint pen’s early years are a great case study in business acumen.
It’s worth acknowledging up front that the pen was not entirely an American invention. While John J. Loud patented an early version in 1888, he never commercialized it. One version, created by a pair of Hungarian brothers who’d fled the Nazis and settled in Argentina, became a big seller in the storefronts of Buenos Aires. That’s where American businessman Milton Reynolds came across the ballpoint pen in June 1945, realizing its potential immediately.
Knowing that it wouldn’t be long before someone else brought the idea stateside, Reynolds rushed to manufacture his own ballpoint pen and began selling it four months later for $12.50 (around $230 in today’s dollars) at the Gimbel’s department store in New York. The “Reynolds Rocket” pen earned him $100,000 in sales just on day one.
As is the case with many rushed market debuts, the Rocket was a pretty crappy pen that had a tendency to break. But that didn’t matter: It proved the concept and, alongside some flashy marketing, created demand for more ballpoint pens. Nowadays, they’re a cheap and sturdy office staple.
