The History of the Pen

Egyptian Reed Pens

4000 BCE

Early Egyptian scribes developed many tools to document life and testaments: papyrus paper, a wooden writing palette, brushes, ink made from soot and gum (or some sort of tree sap) and the dust of red oxide, and reed pens. https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/scribe/

Brushes and Knives

1046 BCE

Though popular belief has us thinking Ancient Chinese peoples used brushes to write on paper, an earlier form of script called "oracle bone script" was precedent to the commonly known as the "regular" and "clerical" scripts. Oracle bone script was produced by carving characters into animal bones and turtle plastrons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_calligraphy

Feathers for Sale!

501

The quill pen, commonly used in the Barbarian Kingdoms of Medieval Europe from the 6th to 19th century were a popular choice of equipment once the reed pen declined in popularity. Quills were usually made from the feathers of geese, swans, and turkey. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quill#:~:text=History,-Sharpening%20a%20quill&text=The%20quill%20pen%20evolved%20from,swan%2C%20and%20later%20turkey%20feathers.

Demands for Clean Hands

974

In Arab Egypt, the Fatimid caliph Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah wished, rather ardently, for a pen that would not allow for ink to leak down onto his hands and clothes. So came forth the reservoir pen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_pen

Double Doesn't Mean Trouble

1636

German inventor Daniel Schwenter figured out how to make a reservoir pen by putting one, ink-filled quill into another quill and stoppering the ink with a cork. To release ink, the outer quill would be squeezed to then coat the writing nib with pigment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_pen

Ballpoint Pen

Oct 30, 1888

The ballpoint pen was invented by a man named John J. Loud who was trying to make a tool that would be able to write "on rough surfaces—such as wood, coarse wrapping paper, and other articles" unlike fountain pens which could not.