Dickens' Christmas was primarily concerned with the spirit of Christmas and its ideals of selflessness and forgiveness, as well as being a voice for the poor and the needy,” Dickens “had to create some very dark scenarios to give this message power and resonance, and these can be seen in the illustrations” [in his books.]
I remember writing a book report (probably in 10th grade) and I was so taken by the etched drawings in my book that I drew at least one myself as part of the report. I was then the proud owner of a black ballpoint pen. (Not sure when they were invented, but by 1957 at least!) I think I got an "A" but may have made my teacher think I was somewhat depressed...which might have been the case, since I preferred reading or being in the library to almost anything else.
Paper Mate pens, among the emerging ballpoint brands of the 1950s, bought the rights to distribute their own ballpoint pens in Canada. Facing concerns about ink-reliability, Paper Mate pioneered new ink formulas and advertised them as "banker-approved". In 1954, Parker Pens released "The Jotter"—the company's first ballpoint—boasting additional features and technological advances which also included the use of tungsten-carbide textured ball-bearings in their pens. In less than a year, Parker sold several million pens at prices between three and nine dollars.
Marcel Bich also introduced a ballpoint pen to the American marketplace in the 1950s, licensed from Bíró and based on the Argentine designs. Bich shortened his name to Bic in 1953, forming the ballpoint brand Bic now recognized globally. Bic pens struggled until the company launched its "Writes First Time, Every Time!" advertising campaign in the 1960s. Competition during this era forced unit prices to drop considerably.
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And PPS: Early ballpoints often had slpurches of ink.
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