John J. Loud:An American inventor who patented a ballpoint pen in 1888, but it was not commercially viable. László Bíró:A Hungarian journalist who, frustrated with fountain pens, sought a better writing tool. He noticed how quickly newspaper printing ink dried and sought to incorporate a similar ink into a pen. György Bíró:László's brother, a dentist with chemical knowledge, helped develop the viscous ink formula for the ballpoint pen.