Och hello there… Sir Sidney McSprocket here! 

My parrot Polly is still in the Victory Vault.  It’s my latest invention, a totally tremendous time machine that can take us to explore incredible inventions. 

I’d set the parameters to explore the dark years of the 1940s when we were at war.  Come on, we better go and find her!

Scanning Location:

• On board a Lancaster bomber
• Date – September 1942.
• Invention Detected – Ball Point Pen.

Interesting… looks like I’m in a plane… and we’re flying quite high… wooo! Ah, that looks like Polly – eating… a… pencil!

Eterpen

The fellow doesn’t seem very happy about his pencil. It seems to have snapped into two! And his papers are all covered in ink. I think his fountain pen has a leak. How is he going to log his coordinates?

Hmmm, how about with… the Eterpen.

It was invented by a Hungarian called László Bíró. Hmmm, his name sounds familiar! .

He was a journalist and invented the Eterpen after getting annoyed with his fountain pen. The nib would tear the paper as he wrote and splattered ink all over the place. 

He experimented with quick drying printing ink, but that was too thick for the nib, so he replaced that with a ball bearing… and voila! 

No more leaks, even at high altitudes!

The Eterpen was an early name for what we now know as the biro. 

Laszlo Biro, who was also a hypnotist, race car driver and surrealist painter, patented his pen in 1938 but it was during the war when its benefits where truly appreciated, especially by the RAF who loved the pen as it didn’t leak at high altitudes. They bought 30,000 of them!!

No more worrying about inkpots and pencil sharpeners! 

Superglue

And what about a new super glue?

A man called Harry Coover came up with it. 

He was trying to design a clear plastic lens for gun sights when he accidentally created a new compound that turned out to be a great glue! Cyanoacrylate!

It didn’t need any heat and hardly any pressure and it’ll stick most things together!

Did you know that superglue as we know it is so good at sticking skin together, a spray on version was used by medics in the Vietnam war to seal wounds on the battlefield?

So… ball point pens and superglue, two fascinating finds that came into their own during the second world war, and still very much in use today. It goes to show not all great inventions have to be the size of bridges or jeeps!

Despite the rise of digital technology, ball point pens are simple and reliable and remain widely used as a cost-effective and convenient writing tool at home, in school and at work, coming in a wide range of coloured inks.

Whilst the popularity of superglue persists due to its versatility, bonding many materials from metal and wood to plastic and ceramics in seconds, making it an indispensable tool for professionals and DIY enthusiasts alike.

Incredible innovations indeed!

Oh… Polly.  She’s still in the Victory Vault.  I better follow her… but maybe after a wee cuppa tee!  Tatty bye for now!

Inkless Writing Challenge

Write secret messages using invisible ink – no pens allowed! Using lemon juice and a cotton bud, write secret wartime notes just like real spies. Then reveal your hidden messages using heat – it’s magical science! Can someone crack your code? Get started here!

SIR SIDNEY MCSPROCKET AND THE VICTORY VAULT. Created with support from The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851.