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Did you know that John J. Loud was born today in 1844? He was an American inventor and best known for designing the first ballpoint pen. John J Loud wanted to design a pen that would be able to write on a variety of surfaces, not just paper. He created a pen that had a small steel ball held in a socket. The barrel or ‘stick part’ of the pen had a reservoir of ink. As the ball rolls on a surface it picks up ink from the reservoir and then transfers it onto the surface.

We hope that you have a re-‘mark’able day at school today. Remember to think kind thoughts, use kind words, and do kind things. We Love You.

Bonus Facts:
While his new pen did work for marking rough surfaces, such as leather, the tip of the pen was too large. It was too coarse to be used for writing letters.

While John J. Loud came up with the first design for a ballpoint pen, his idea was not commercialized, and his patent lapsed. In 1938, Laszlo Biro patented another design. Biro did find a market for his new pen and it became commercially successful. Biro’s design was sold to Marcel Bich, founder of the Bic Company.

John J Loud also had a patent for a firecracker cannon and toy cannon.