Today is June 10, and it’s National Ballpoint Pen Day. Today is the day we celebrate the world’s most popular writing instrument: the ballpoint pen. Long ago on June 10, 1943, Hungarian brothers Laszlo and Gyorgy Biro walked into a patent office in Europe to register a patent for their new writing pen design. Since that time, writers all over the world have enjoyed the use of this fantastic writing tool.

I like to think of myself as a pen aficionado. The right pen can change the way you write. Whenever I use a very nice pen, I take more time and care with what I’m writing. My personal favorite: Pilot’s Dr. Grip. Next in line are the government pens made by Skilcraft and Cross pens. I always have a pen on my person and I seldom share it. Whenever I hand write a draft for a book, I generally use Skilcraft pens or Bic Cristal pens. The ink flows smoothly and I find I get more writing done. Many disposable pens are great, but I do like refillable pens, too. I’ve never owned a Montblanc, and I don’t think I want one–if I lost it I’d lose my mind (they start at $240 and can cost as much as $9200!).

Not only are ballpoint pens great for writing, they make wonderful tools for advertising a business or event. How many times have you visited a convention, and received a bag from a business or group that contained brochures, notepads…and a ballpoint pen with the company name/logo on it? And if you’ve ever set foot inside a TD Bank location, I’m sure you’ve noticed those bright green pens that everyone takes.

Today, pens come in a variety of colors. There are even pens which contain four different colors of ink (your teacher probably had one and frequently used red to grade papers). Whether expensive or inexpensive, ballpoint pens have become a very important part of our lives.

If you’d like to know more about this fantastic little holiday, you can visit this website. Grab a pen today and celebrate this wonderful creation from the Biro brothers!