"There is no lighter burden, nor more agreeable, than a pen"
Petrarch, poet
John J. Laud's invention, the ballpoint pen, was far from perfect. It leaked and smudged documents and was too crude for standard letter-writing. Nevertheless, Loud—a leather tanner from Massachusetts who wanted something that could write on leather and wood—patented his new writing instrument on October 30,. 1888. With a tiny steel ball bearing in the nib and three smaller balls aligned above it to try to regulate ink flow, all refreshed with ink from a reservoir above. Loud had invented the world's first pen that did not constantly require dipping or refilling.
However, Loud was unable to control the flow of ink, which contributed to the pen never being sold commercially. If the ink were too thin the pen would leak; if it were too thick, it would clog. Depending on the temperature, the pen would sometimes
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