when was the ballpoint pen invented

The ballpoint pen, as we know it today, was invented and patented by Hungarian-Argentinian inventor László Bíró in 1938. He was frustrated with the writing tools of his time and developed a special quick-drying ink with his brother György, which made the ballpoint pen practically usable for writing on paper. Bíró's invention revolutionized writing by making it more efficient and less messy compared to the fountain pens used previously. Before Bíró's successful invention, the first patent for a ballpoint pen was issued in 1888 to John J. Loud, who designed a pen intended to write on rough surfaces like wood and leather, but it was not practical for writing on paper and thus had no commercial success.