If there’s one office supply we guarantee everyone has sitting on their desk right now, it’s a pen.

We use them everyday in the office, at home, in the car, at the store, and pretty much EVERYWHERE else. But how much do we actually KNOW about this everyday item?

Here are 13 Facts you probably never knew about pens:

 The average ballpoints pen can draw a lot of smiley faces!

1. Pens are 5,000 years old. Ancient Egyptians used reed straws and ink made of soot or red ochre mixed with vegetable gum and beeswax.

2. A standard Bic Ballpoint can produce a line of around 2km. That means that one single pen could draw a line over four times longer than the height of the Empire State Building!

3. Modern ballpoint pens feature metal balls as the writing point. These are made from tungsten which is three times tougher than steel!

4. Gold-nibbed fountain pens slowly adjust to your writing style. As the pen is used, the nib flexes and softens.

5. The world’s biggest ballpoint pen is 18 ft 0.53 in and weighs 82.08 lb 1.24 oz.

6. On average, a pen can write approximately 45,000 words.

7. Drawing 29,249 smiley faces is what it takes to drain a standard ballpoint pen

8. Pen caps cause over 100 deaths a year by people playing with the cap in their mouth and swallowing it.

9. In 95% of cases, if a person is given a new pen, the first word they write is their name.

10. There are 5 main kinds of pens used worldwide: ballpoint, fountain, soft-tip. rolling-ball and specialty pens.

11. In World War II, pilots used ballpoint pens because they do not leak at high altitudes.

12. Almost 2,5000 pencils can be made from one tree

13. More than two billion pens are manufactured in the United States annually.

Pens serve an important role in our lives. They help us remember important events, get our creative ideas on paper, expand our knowledge, and help us communicate with others.

While these facts may be a bit random, at least we know a little more about something we use EVERY single day!

PS: If you want somewhere to put all your pens, our Sliding Pencil Case is the perfect place. No more reaching in only to find the wrong pen, just push down to see everything you need.