when were ballpoint pens invented

The ballpoint pen was first invented by John J. Loud in 1888. He patented a design on October 30, 1888, which featured a small steel ball that rotated inside a socket, allowing it to write on rough surfaces like wood and leather where fountain pens could not be used. However, Loud's pen was not suitable for writing on paper and did not achieve commercial success. Later, in 1938, Hungarian-Argentine inventor László Bíró developed and patented a version of the ballpoint pen that was suitable for writing on paper, featuring quick- drying ink that made the pen much more practical and popular. So the original invention was in 1888 by Loud, but the widely used modern ballpoint pen was developed and patented in 1938 by Bíró.