My Sister and Bic
A lesson on the power of history
Dear Fellow,
I purchased a pen for twice the cost it was last year. Before now, I dislike this pen. About a week before, I had forgotten my preferred pen with a friend. Purchasing a pen is quite a passionate activity for me, such that if you find me at the store purchasing one, you’d think I was purchasing an object which has a significant impact on my life. Well, a pen does have an impact on human life; not just limited to the journalism saying* that extols the pen above the gun.
It occurred to me that it was a subconscious act—the purchase of the pen for twice the amount it was the previous year—after paying for the pen. Of course, I walked to the store and picked up this very pen. There were other options on display and I could get the type I gave my friend the previous week in the other stores, but somehow I opted for this one at a relatively higher price instead. My sister’s resolve in the previous week played on me.
The Story
My sister is a ten-year-old. She is a final-year student in primary education. She is studious and diligent in her academics. She could delay her meal time in favour of finishing her schoolwork. If it would mean sleeping late, she cares too little so long as she doesn’t go to school without completing her schoolwork. Among other things we share, we have a similar pen preference.
Working on her schoolwork the previous week, her choice pen was out of ink. She couldn’t wait until we purchased another before her schoolwork continued. The only available option was this ballpoint pen which I have yet to find a group of students who have a preference for it. By sheer estimation, I think you will hardly find one in every ten students who use the pen and like it. It always is just a last resort. (I conducted a survey to put my assumptions to the test. Find the outcome in the subsequent heading “The Survery”.)
The Resource
Reluctantly, she had to use what was available. However, there was a change in attitude eventually.
One day in January this year, I was at the largest books supply facility* in the city. A patron had just made a selection of about fifty books primarily for children. I learned it was for a children’s book club*. I knew the patron and so we got into a discussion. While we talked, I picked one of the books which seemed like material for teaching children writing at the elementary level. I stumbled on this biography in the book. It was the biography of László Bíró (1899-1985), the first human behind the famous ballpoint pen BIC®. I was thrilled, as I always am when I find the history behind remarkable inventions. I read through the very short but informative account and didn’t know that it would have such an impact on my baby sister.
According to the book, Biro was a Hungarian journalist working in Budapest, Hungary as a newspaper publisher. Having observed how quickly the ink used on newspapers dried up, he wondered if a pen could have ink that dried up quickly too. The result of that speculation was the ballpoint pen which was called Biro. Bíró’s invention was revolutionary because his pen didn’t stain the page when it is used and allowed for smooth writing. Following the breakout of the Second World War, he moved to Brazil. There, he and his brother improved on the invention. They couldn’t start up a big company. The business was sold to an English businessman Henry Martin in 1944. Biro fared well in America and Britain. Later, it was sold to a French company BIC, a company which sold millions of pens in a day. The company developed Bíró’s idea into the BIC® Cristal Original Pen we know today and has continued to make great sales*. What we commonly call Biro today. “Biro is still the generic name used for the ballpoint pen used in most of the world.”
The Impact
Amid my sister’s hesitancy to take the ballpoint pen, I told her about the human and the story behind the pen. She was thrilled. Her pen preference was altered immediately. Right now, her first choice of pen is BIC. Unless when BIC isn’t available that is when you will find her picking the previous one we both liked; at least, that was what she told me. Somehow, I shared in her regard for Bíró and the invention which still bears his name to date. The wonder here is, how this little account of history could make such an impact on the outlook of a ten-year-old on her pen preference. I think, here is a good illustration of what history could do for us—especially, nationally.
The Nigerian History
According to a 2021 editorial of TheGuardian, History as a subject was removed from the primary and secondary schools curriculum in the 2009/2010 academic session. The reasons, to me, were very unfounded. From the editorial:
‘Nigeria, during the 2009/2010 academic session, removed the study of history from primary and secondary schools’ curriculum. Official reasons given then were, among others, that students shun the subject; only a few jobs were available for history graduates, and that there is a dearth of history teachers.’
I mean, are these reasons enough for the removal of such an important piece in the developmental process of any nation? This conclusion by scholars Yusuf and Goshit in their study on the importance of history to the national development of Nigeria is noteworthy:
History is important because it helps us to understand the present. If we will listen to what history has to say, we can come to a sound understanding of the past that will tell us much about the problems we now face. If we refuse to listen to history, we will find ourselves fabricating a past that reinforces our current problems.
How much more can be achieved if the citizenry of Nigeria is more aware of our nation’s history? I believe so much more. If just a little information about the human behind the invention of the BIC® Cristal Original Pen could cause such a shift in pen choice, of not just my baby sister, but mine as well, how much more the accounts of men who upheld justice, equity, truth, honesty, and other values which ensures the sustenance of nationhood? I believe history serves the best interest of a people.
Value history, good Fellow.
Your LetterMan,
Tongjal, W. N.
The Survey
I have always met more people who dislike BIC® Pens than those who like them. I wanted to see the numbers behind this assumption. So, I conducted this survey. The results were interesting: Of the 212 folks who voted on the polls, 62.7% (133 people) like the pen while 37.3% (79 people) dislike the pen.
The data was collected from a post on my Facebook timeline and across various WhatsApp groups (12 of them) I am a part of. The respondents voted for A (which represented Yes) or B (which represented No) to the cue “I dislike Bic Biro!” A vote for A (Yes) means you DO NOT LIKE the pen; a vote for B (No) means you LIKE the pen.
Also, some respondents felt the need to say more about their relationship with the pen. Have fun with their answers:
*The journalism saying I am referring to is: “The pen is mightier than the sword.” According to this article by the BBC, the words were first written by Edward Bulwar-Lytton in 1839 in one of his plays: Read the BBC article.
*So far, to the best of my knowledge, the “largest book supply facility” in my city (Jos) is @Books2AfricaNigeria, where books are sold for as low as 350 naira and 700 naira, for fiction and textbooks or encyclopaedias respectively.
*The children’s book club is called the SBC Bookclub. I could not reach the coordinator to get the full meaning of the SBC before this publication. But you can search “SBC Bookclub” on Facebook and find out more about their programmes.
*It so happened that Marcel Bich (1914-1994) seemed a better custodian of Bíró’s ballpoint pen. He revolutionised the idea such that it became more affordable. Read more.
Further Reading:
A biography of László Bíró (1899-1985): Read.
A timeline of the evolution of the BIC® Cristal Original Pen: Read.
The editorial on the removal of History from the Nigerian curriculum: Read.
More on the pen: Read.
One more piece on the pen: Read.
Where is the lie? There is something history and understanding foundations does to our perception about a lot of things, that we cannot trade for anything. Way to go pal.