From Ross Clark@21:1/5 to All on Mon Jun 10 17:54:54 2024
Yes, on this day in 1943, László and György Bíró got the US patent for their amazing new device. They were refugees from Hungary via Argentina.
I prefer pencils (see 30 March). But I might celebrate ballpoint day by
burning a few. Once you get them lit, they drip gobs of burning plastic
and give off toxic smoke. Very festive.
There's a chapter on Biro in Philip Dodd's book _The Reverend Guppy's Aquarium_, which I enjoyed more than I expected. It also covers
eponymous folks like Jules Léotard, Adolphe Sax and Roy Jacuzzi. Really
gives you an idea of how much work is involved in perfecting an
invention which gets your name into the dictionary.