A pen with a ball at its tip

On this day in 1888, a patent was granted in the United States for a new kind of pen with a tiny steel ball at its tip. As the pen moved, the ball rolled, picking up ink on one side and leaving it behind on the other.

Why it mattered

That first ballpoint pen was rough, better for marking than for writing letters. About fifty years later, other inventors made the rolling ball smooth enough for everyday writing.