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500 BCE
The reed pen
Ancient Egyptians used reed pens made from sea rush to write on papyrus. Each was cut to about 10” and given a slanted tip which was crushed into a sort of brush to spread the ink. -
400 BCE
The quill pen
The reed pen was extremely fragile and obtaining reed was not easy for people in every area, around this time the quill pen began to replace it in certain places. By using a large wing or tail feather from a goose, swan or other large bird, the skilled writer could produce finer lines. -
The metal pen
The German inventor Daniel Schwenter wrote about a pen that required two quills. One of the quills would go inside the other and hold the ink. Cork would keep the ink from leaking out while a small hole allowed it to flow to the nib. This basic idea would be the precursor to pen designs in the future. -
The rise of the steel pen
The steel pen was patented by Bryan Donkin, and by the mid-1800s, metal nibbed pens had become the standard. -
The fountain pen
M. Klein and Henry W. Wynne received a patent for a fountain pen with an ink chamber. Fountain pens would become more and more popular and Klein and Wynne’s design would influence a great number of changes in how the ink was stored and used. -
The ball pen
The first patent for a ball pen was issued to leather tanner John Loud. His goal was to create something he could use to write on the leather he tanned. -
The Self-Filling pen
The Conklin Self-Filling Pen was invented and was one of the very first self-filling pens. -
The final innovation of the self-filling pen
The felt-tipped pen was invented by Yukio Horie in Japan. -
The roller-ball pen
OHTO Japan introduced the first rollerball pen which was designed to blend the usability of the ballpoint pen with the smooth writing of a fountain pen. -
The finest innovation of the roller-ball pen
The Fulgor Nocturnus became the world’s most expensive pen when it was sold at auction for $8 million.
