Ballpoint Pen Day - June 10
Mon, Jun 10, 2024

Ballpoint Pen Day

Ballpoint Pen Day is celebrated on June 10th in honor of the Bíró brothers, László and György, who are credited with the invention of the ballpoint pen. On this day in 1943, the Bíró brothers filed an application for the patent of the ballpoint pen with the European Patent Office. These early pens became the first commercial models of the ballpoint pen. Later on, the patent rights were purchased by the British Parliament, and the pens were used by the Royal Air Force during World War II. The ballpoint pen serves two major functions that make it so important: the ball acts as a cap to close in the ink and keep it from drying, and the ball lets the user control the rate at which the ink comes out of the pen. These two innovations came in very handy for the Royal Air Force because the ballpoint pens could be used without a problem at high altitudes with reduced pressure. The previously used fountain pens flooded.

Celebrate this unique holiday by taking a break from the keyboard on your computer or phone, and write a letter to someone you love. Start a pen collection and see how big you can grow it! Instead of throwing away an old pen, buy a refill for it. Draw a picture, or practice your signature with a ballpoint pen. Walk up to someone that you see today, and wish them a “Happy Ballpoint Pen Day!”. However you celebrate Ballpoint Pen Day, we hope you have a happy and enjoyable day!

Ballpoint Pen Day Fun Facts

  • An average of 100 people die each year from choking on a ballpoint pen.
  • In the past, ballpoint pens were bent in order to increase the pen’s capacity for ink, but they were later produced with straight rods to save money.
  • In almost all European languages, ballpoint pens are named using the word “ball”.
  • László Bíró, the inventor of the ballpoint pen, died on October 24, 1985 (aged 86).
  • 125 ballpoint pens are sold every second.
  • One-third of the ballpoint pens in the United States are owned by BIC.
  • Since 1983, BIC has sold more than 7,000,000,000 ballpoint pens in the United States.
  • An average person in the United States uses 4.3 pens annually.
  • A ballpoint pen has a lifespan of about 50,000 words.
  • The most expensive ballpoint pen in the world is the Mont Blanc Ball Point, which costs $730,000.

Ballpoint Pen Day Jokes

  • When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat the problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion to develop a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass, and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to 300 C… The Russians used a pencil.
  • A doctor is going about his business, with a rectal thermometer tucked behind his ear. He goes into a staff meeting to discuss the day’s activities, when a co-worker asks why he has a thermometer behind his ear. In a wild motion, he grabs for the thermometer, looks at it, and exclaims, “Damn, some patient has my ballpoint pen!”.
  • Why were the three drops of ink from the ballpoint pen crying? Their mother was in the pen, and they didn’t know how long the sentence was.

Ballpoint Pen Day Quotes

  • “My two fingers on a typewriter have never connected with my brain. My hand on a pen does. A fountain pen, of course. Ball-point pens are only good for filling out forms on a plane.” — Graham Greene
  • “Many established novelists retain the eighteenth-century method of writing books in their own hand. Novelists have often told me that they like to see the words emerging onto the paper; they feel more in control and they have a sense of achievement as one line follows another, gradually working their way down the page. Some prefer the fountain pen or the ballpoint or the felt-tip pen because it keeps them in direct contact with their medium.” — George Greenfield
  • “I still draw a lot though. Ballpoint pen is my preferred medium.” — Mackenzie Crook
  • “I write everything with fountain pens. I don’t know why. I’ve done it since I was bar mitzvahed. I was given a fountain pen, a Parker fountain pen, and I loved it, and I’ve never liked writing anything with pencils or ball-points.” — Tony Kushner

Ballpoint Pen Day Destinations

  • Visit the Pen Museum in Birmingham, England.
  • Go to the store and buy ballpoint pens. Start a pen collection!
  • Go to the library and rent a book or documentary about pens.
  • Visit the Museum of Writing Instruments in Hanover, Germany.

Alternative titles for this holiday include: National Ballpoint Pen Day, International Ballpoint Pen Day, Ballpoint Pen Anniversary, National Ballpoint Pen Anniversary, and International Ballpoint Pen Anniversary.

When is Ballpoint Pen Day in 2024?

Ballpoint Pen Day is associated with the anticipation of happiness and joy. It is observed on June 10 each year.

Observations

Weekday Month Day Year
Monday June 10 2024
Tuesday June 10 2025
Wednesday June 10 2026
Thursday June 10 2027
Saturday June 10 2028
Sunday June 10 2029