Very often, an invention receives the name of its author. There are many examples of this: Citroën and Porsche, Colt and Nagan, biro and parker. However, stop! The word "biro" is not in the Russian language. But it is in English. In New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom, the word biro is the name of the most common writing device now - the ballpoint pen. And Laszlo Biro came up with it. In this article we will present a brief biography of the inventor.
First work
Laszlo Joseph Biro was born in 1899 in Budapest. The boy's father, Matias, worked as a dentist. Everyone believed that Laszlo would follow in his footsteps. And indeed, after graduation, Biro entered the medical faculty. But the young man never received a diploma.
For a while, Laszlo practiced hypnosis, and then got a job at a petroleum company. After he moved to a completely new, but then popular sphere - car racing. Together with a friend, Biro even came up with an automatic transmission. Subsequently, the patent for this invention was acquired by the American company General Motors, so that no one could realize it. This was a kind of recognition that the young man had a head on his shoulders!
Journalistic activities
But Laszlo Biro continued his search for himself and eventually became a journalist in his hometown. In those days, Budapest was considered the second capital of Austria-Hungary. And he actively joined the race with Vienna for the title of the most beautiful city. Although it was not possible to win the competition, it was very beneficial for Budapest.
What did you end up with? In Budapest there was more provincial warmth, in Vienna - imperial splendor and stiffness. An operetta appeared in Budapest, an opera in Vienna. Budapest cafes came to work and chat. To Viennese - to eat a delicious dessert.
The editorial offices of many newspapers in Laszlo's hometown populated the nearest cafes. Here, the editors were making up a new issue, and journalists were writing articles and discussing current topics. It was in the cafe that the reporters brought the latest news “on the tail”.
At first, Laszlo Biro headed the newspaper Hungary. And after its closure - the Elôtte Edition. Naturally, the pen was the main working tool of the hero of this article. And its characteristics remained very far from perfect.
Invention
The leading journalists of that time used parkers - capillary fountain pens. These were the most expensive and perfect writing instruments. But parkers also had flaws: either they did not leave a mark on paper, or they leaked.
Laszlo had a brother named György, who received a chemical education. He told the hero of this article that ink is too liquid in parkers. Therefore, they leak. For the same reason, ink dries on paper for a long time. According to György, the most optimal liquid for charging a pen is a printing ink.
Laszlo took the advice of a relative, but the experiment ended in failure. Ink was very thick and did not get onto the paper by gravity. Biro thought and decided to make the capillary tube the main unit of the handle . One of its ends was open, and the paint did not flow out from there because of its ductility. And on the other side of the capillary was a mounted writing unit in the form of a small steel ball. While moving on paper, he spun and transferred a layer of paint. So Laszlo Biro invented a ballpoint pen. And she wrote well!
The calendar was 1938. Ballpoint pen Laszlo Biro received a patent in Hungary. Immediately after this, the inventor had to leave from there. This was due to policies pursued by the fascist government of Horthy. It “squeezed” all Jews out of the country. Laszlo and his family moved to Paris. Just in the capital of France, he sold his first license to produce pens. And that was just the beginning.
Argentinean patent
It may seem strange, but the first mass production of cheap ballpoint pens was organized by British aviation industry enterprises. At high altitude, navigators could not operate fountain pens. And using chemical pencils was somehow not solid. Thus, mass production has made a ballpoint pen the cheapest writing instrument.
Laszlo Biro was not in Paris for long. After the invasion of the Nazis, his whole family moved to Argentina. In the summer of 1943, the hero of this article received a patent for his invention in this country. And then Laszlo founded the Eterpen pen factory. Biro sold 7 million units of his products a year.
But this commercial success was local. When the inventor decided to enter the US market, he learned about the existence of an analogue of his pen there. The fact is that one entrepreneurial American traveled to Argentina. He realized the enormous commercial potential of this invention and, returning to his homeland, immediately patented it in his name. It seemed that the American market was lost to Biro forever.
Marcel Bich and his Crystal
But everything turned out differently! After the end of the Second World Fountain Pen, Laszlo fell into the hands of businessman Marcel Bisch. He decided to take up the production of writing instruments and built a factory near Paris. In 1950, Marseille acquired the Laszlo Biro patent. The ballpoint pen was seriously improved by Bish.
The entrepreneur decided to apply the metal processing method used in Switzerland. They did it with a high degree of accuracy, up to hundredths of a millimeter. The diameter of the new balls was only 1 mm in size. This allowed the pen to write thinner and not leave dirty stains on paper.
Bish even came up with the name of the improved invention - “Crystal”. In 1950, France began mass production of pens under this brand. Eight years later, Marcel protected his invention with a US patent and founded BiC in America. The company produced cheap disposable ballpoint pens from lightweight plastic. Over time, they pushed many writing instruments out of the market. BiC is to this day the number one manufacturer and manufacturer of ballpoint pens worldwide.
Conclusion
As for Laszlo Biro, Argentina became his second home. In a Spanish-speaking country, he even changed his Hungarian name to Ladislav. Biro lived in Buenos Aires until his death in 1985. And on September 29 (Laszlo's birthday) it became a national holiday in Argentina - the Day of the inventor.