the.com/pen
mightier than the sword, cheaper than therapy, and never out of opinions
means A handheld instrument that lays down ink to write or draw; also a small enclosure for animals or, informally, a prison.
from The writing tool comes from Latin 'penna,' meaning feather or wing — back when a pen really was a sharpened quill plucked from a bird, dipped in ink and scratched across the page. The other 'pen,' the animal enclosure, is a separate Old English word ('penn') of uncertain root, and the slang for prison is simply a clipping of 'penitentiary.' Three pens, two unrelated families, one humble spelling.
- space problem
- NASA spent millions; pens leak without gravity
- ballpoint debut
- patented 1888, perfected for WWII pilots
- treaty maker
- wars officially end with signatures, not bullets
- global output
- billions of ballpoints made every single year
parker 51 — american pen launched 1941, sold over 20 million units, revolutionized ballpoint design
kaweco liliput — german pocket fountain pen from 1912, world's smallest pen at the time
lamy safari — german polymer pen designed 1980, best-selling fountain pen globally with millions sold