11. Ballpoint pens with Bic Cristal.
Where It Was Sold: Office Depot, Staples, and Woolworth’s; Company: Bac
* Original cost: $0.19 for each pen.
With a simple guarantee of flawless writing at an unbelievable price, Bic Cristal Ballpoint Pens made history. All people could now rely on Bic’s reliable flow and durability, from executives closing deals to students taking notes.
Bic Cristal Ballpoint Pens (Wikimedia/Carlos Delgado).
The brilliantly designed, clear barrel of the pen allowed users to see how much ink was remaining, eliminating the worry of running out of ink in the middle of a sentence. The Bic Cristal evolved into more than just a pen; it became an instrument of democracy in writing, making sure that no thought was overlooked and no signature vanished into thin air.
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