Or for that matter the invention of the telegraph, telephone, typewriter, or the personal computer, or the internet. Especially in terms of communication, each was an engine in its own right for economic growth because trade and connections between people, territories and states became easier. The ballpoint pen is a great example because often the technological advance is something quite simple to engineer, yet its effects are major.
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The Bic pen was a smooth, clean writing pen that did not leak. It effected the sale of many a white shirt, to be sure, as it was safe. The pocket protector became a thing of the past soon after Bic perfected its ballpoint pens because people could then throw away their fountain pens.
Students could buy these pens as they were inexpensive, and they could write without worrying about where and how to sharpen their pencils. In addition, the ballpoint pen allowed for security since it could not be erased; it was a boon to those using carbon paper as the ballpoint exerted more pressure than pencil point.
This is an interesting topic. The use of a ball point pen initially made it much easier and quicker to communicate with people. Think about our own lives today, how many times do we use a ball point pen to communicate with someone? Most of us probably not very much, we use e-mail, texting, or some other form of technology. Even the letters we send by mail are usually done on a computer and the only use of the pen is for our signature.
I wonder whether handwriting has actually worsened as a result of the ball point pen. However it is definite that the ease and practical nature of the ball point pen revolutionised technology and business, and is indicative of our technology today, which is designed to help us do jobs quicker and more efficiently, saving us time so that we can do more work!
Two words: "faster" and "easier". The ball point pen made writing more portable and efficient than ever. Ink was already stored in the pen, there was no (or very little) leakage and mess...as mentioned in the post before, there was no more 'wasting' time filling the pen from ink pots and no blotting necessary. Just pick up the pen, write with ink which dries almost as quickly as one writes, and take care of business and pleasure more quickly and efficiently. This seemingly small invention helped catapult technology and business into the future with more advancements to follow almost as quickly.
Whenever an important task is made easier, economic growth will occur, regardless of where you are in time or geography or what your culture is. This is what happened with the invention of the ball point pen.
The invention of the ballpoint pen made the simple act of writing (which was very important in the days before computers, of course) much easier. People no longer had to waste time filling their pens or rewriting things that got blotched or rewriting because their fountain pen had ripped their paper. By reducing these problems, ballpoint pens made it easier for businesses to operate and helped to create economic growth.