If there’s one item that’s guaranteed to be somewhere within reach, it’s a pen. A pen is a tool used for writing or drawing. The ink of the pen is pressed onto paper and dries very fast. Reed pens are the oldest known type of pen.
They were made from reeds growing in the Delta of the Nile River. The ancient Egyptians invented them, and black ink using soot and Gum Arabic. Their pens had split nibs to regulate the flow of ink to the writing tip. This simple design is still used in calligraphy today.
A quill pen was the feather of a bird usually a goose. The end of the feather (the quill) was kept very sharp and had to be dipped into ink after every few word. Reed and quill pens are dip pens because they have to be dipped in ink many times during writing or drawing. Modern dip pens have nibs made of metal.
Pens serve an important role in our
lives. They help us remember important events, get our creative ideas on paper,
expand our knowledge, and help us communicate with others. We use them every day, but how much do we know about them?
Here are some
facts you probably never knew about the
common pen:
1.
In 95% of cases, if a person is
given a new pen, the first word they write is their name.
2.
In the 1850s, Birmingham became the
top pen nib manufacturer, producing half of all the pens in the world.
3.
In World War II, pilots used
ballpoint pens because they did not leak at high altitudes.
4.
Modern ballpoint pens feature metal
balls as the writing point. Often times these are made from tungsten carbide
which is three times tougher than steel.
5.
More than two billion pens are
manufactured in the United States annually.
6.
On average, a pen can write
approximately 45,000 words.
7.
Pen caps cause over 100 deaths a
year by people playing with the cap in their mouth and swallowing it.
8.
Pens are 5,000 years old. Ancient
Egyptians used reed straws and ink made of soot or red ochre mixed with
vegetable gum and beeswax.
9.
Roller
ball pens with a cap are water-based and can
dry out. Retractable ballpoint
pens are oil-based and don’t dry out.
Retractable gel
pens have wax on the tip that must be
taken off before writing.
10.
The most commonly owned promotional products among
all consumers are writing instruments.
11.
The
pen starts with the development of ink in 3200 Before the
Common Era
(BCE),
12.
World’s biggest ballpoint pen: 18 ft
0.53 in and weighing 82.08 lb 1.24 oz.
[i] Sources used:
·
“18 Facts You Never Knew About Pens” by Nicole Tinkham
·
“Common Era” from
Wikipedia
·
“History of Pens” by Alyssa Mertes
·
“Pen” by Kidzearch.com
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