the pen

the dipped pen

3100 BCE

The Egyptians invented reed pens. These pens were made of
reed or bamboo (different plants). People dipped the
pen in ink to write.

the quill pen

500 BCE

In the 6 th century, people used quill pens and ink to write.
A quill pen was made from the feathers of a big bird. The
writer dipped the quill pen in ink many times to
write four or five words. Shakespeare created a lot of drama
plays using quill pens, ink and paper.

the fountain pen

1827

Later, Petrache Poenaru invented the fountain pen. The French government patented it in 1827. Fountain pens were very different from quill pens. The ink was inside the pen, so people used it to write pages. But they weren’t very popular because they left spots of ink on the paper.

the ballpoint pen

1938

Lazlo Biro was a printer from Hungary. In 1938, he invented a ballpoint pen. He wasn’t the first person to invent the ballpoint pen, but his design was the best.

the ballpoint pen (now)

Feb 25, 2025

Now, millions of people write with ballpoint pens, or biros (named after Lazlo Biro). People like them because they don’t leave ink spots and don’t need refilling. There are many types of ballpoint pen, including pens that write underwater and pens that write in space.