Today (September 29th), I will introduce an invention closely related to this date.
This time, I will feature the ballpoint pen.
September 29th marks the birthday of Hungarian-born inventor László Bíró (1899.9.29-1985.10.24), who obtained the first practical ballpoint pen patent.
That said, the technology behind ballpoint pens and the story of László Bíró are already widely known (1, 2). Therefore, this time I will introduce ballpoint pens as an art medium (ballpoint pen drawings), which is quite different from their image as writing instruments.
James Mylne, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Lennie Mace, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
We rely on ballpoint pens daily, both at work and home. But haven’t you ever gotten annoyed when the ink clogs and your writing gets messy? I certainly have (laugh). For someone like me, it’s hard to believe those beautiful drawings above could be created with that same ballpoint pen.
Even if such artistic use seems impossible, using a Spirograph gear-based drawing tool? seems like it could let amateurs create pretty patterns.
See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Incidentally, the Spirograph we know today is an educational toy developed by English inventor Denys Fisher (3, 4(PDF)). It became a craze in Japan in the late 1960s (Showa Era year 40s). Nowadays, similar products are sold under names like “Spinning Ruler” or “Design Ruler”.
(blink)
