World Stationery Day – April 30

More than 1,900 years ago, a brilliant Chinese eunuch named Tsai Lun gave the world a priceless gift—paper. Around 121 A.D., he cleverly mixed mulberry bark, old rags, and bamboo fibers to create a lightweight, affordable surface to write on.

Before that, people scribbled on everything from bones and bark to silk and bamboo. Not exactly what you'd keep in your backpack. Ancient Egyptians even used papyrus plants, pressed and dried into sheets. But paper? It was a total revolution. Suddenly, communication was easier, cheaper, and much more portable.

It was the invention that launched stationery into existence—and we’ve been obsessed ever since.

Enter the 6th century, when quill pens arrived on the scene, starting in Seville, Spain. Crafted from goose, swan, or turkey feathers, quills became the gold standard for writing across Europe and beyond.

Imagine this: dipping your feather in ink, writing a love letter or a royal decree, all while trying not to smudge the parchment. Romantic, yes. Practical? Not so much.

Still, quills had a long reign—lasting centuries as the go-to writing tool. They made writing a delicate, beautiful ritual. And even today, they’re iconic symbols of literature, law, and classic calligraphy.

By the 1800s, the world said, “enough with the feather fuzz,” and turned to metal nib pens. Cleaner, sturdier, and way less messy, these pens held ink better and didn’t need as much dipping.

Soon after came the fountain pen, a sleek upgrade that allowed ink to flow continuously through the nib. No more stopping every few lines to reload! This change was a huge leap for writers, students, and artists who needed both function and flair.

Then came the big one. In 1943, Hungarian-Argentine inventors László and György Bíró introduced the world to the ballpoint pen. Their creation, called Birome, was smooth, convenient, and quick-drying—everything a quill wasn’t.

The magic behind the ballpoint? A tiny rolling ball at the tip, which controlled the ink flow perfectly. No smears, no blobs—just clean writing from start to finish. It didn’t take long for the ballpoint to conquer the world of stationery.

Fun fact: The word “stationery” comes from the Latin word stationarius, meaning “permanent” or “unmoved.” Fitting, considering how permanent some of these inventions turned out to be.