László Bíró facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
László Bíró
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Bíró c. 1978
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| Born |
László József Schweiger
29 September 1899 |
| Died | 24 October 1985 (aged 86) Buenos Aires, Argentina
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| Nationality | Hungarian |
| Other names | Ladislas Jozsef Biro Ladislao José Biro |
| Citizenship | Hungarian Argentine |
| Known for | Inventor of the first commercially successful ballpoint pen |
| Spouse(s) | Elsa Schick |
| Children | Mariana Bíró |
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László József Bíró was a Hungarian-Argentine inventor who created the first successful modern ballpoint pen. He was born on September 29, 1899, in Budapest, Hungary, and passed away on October 24, 1985, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. While another inventor named John J. Loud had made a ballpoint pen earlier, Bíró's design was the one that became popular and widely used around the world.
Contents
Early Life and Career
László Bíró grew up in Budapest, Hungary. After finishing school, he started working as a journalist. This job actually helped him come up with the idea for his famous invention!
Inventing the Ballpoint Pen
The Problem with Ink
As a journalist, Bíró spent a lot of time writing. He noticed that the ink used in newspapers dried very quickly. This meant it didn't smudge or smear, which was great. However, the ink used in regular fountain pens was very different. It was thin and often smudged on paper.
Bíró tried putting the fast-drying newspaper ink into his fountain pen. But it was too thick! The ink wouldn't flow properly to the pen's tip. He realized he needed a completely new kind of pen for this ink.
A New Idea Takes Shape
Bíró started working on his idea with his brother, György, who was a chemist. Together, they came up with a clever solution. They designed a pen tip with a tiny ball inside. This ball could spin freely in a small socket. As the ball turned, it would pick up the thick, fast-drying ink from a cartridge. Then, it would roll the ink onto the paper, creating a clean line.
Bíró showed off his new ballpoint pen for the first time at a big fair in Budapest in 1931. He officially protected his invention with a patent in Paris in 1938.
Moving to Argentina
During World War II, Bíró and his brother had to leave Hungary to escape the Nazis. They moved to Argentina in 1943. There, they got another patent for their pen. They also started a company called Biro Pens of Argentina. In Argentina, ballpoint pens are still often called "birome," which is a mix of the Bíró brothers' name and their business partner's name, Juan Jorge Meyne.
The new design of the ballpoint pen was very useful. It was even licensed for use by the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom. This was because the pens worked well at high altitudes, unlike fountain pens which could leak.
The Ballpoint Pen Goes Global
In 1945, a businessman named Marcel Bich bought the patent for Bíró's pen. Bich's company, BIC, then started making and selling the pens. The BIC company has sold billions of ballpoint pens all over the world, making them incredibly popular.
Around the same time, another inventor named Milton Reynolds introduced a different kind of ballpoint pen in the United States. His pen used gravity to make the ink flow, which was different from Bíró's design. The Reynolds pen was popular for a while, but it often leaked. Soon, other pen makers and Bíró's design became more successful.
Legacy and Impact
László Bíró passed away in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1985. His invention changed the way people write forever.
In Argentina, Inventors' Day is celebrated on Bíró's birthday, September 29. This shows how much he is remembered and honored in his adopted country.
Today, in many countries like the UK, Ireland, Australia, and Italy, a ballpoint pen is simply called a "biro." This shows how famous and important his invention became. On September 29, 2016, Google even honored Bíró with a special Google Doodle to celebrate his birthday and his amazing inventing spirit.
Images for kids
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Bíró's invention Birome
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Birome's advertising in Argentine magazine Leoplán, 1945
See also
In Spanish: Ladislao Biro para niños
