Milton Reynolds
Milton Reynolds (1892–1976) was an American entrepreneur who was born Milton Reinsberg in Albert Lea, Minnesota. He changed his name because he believed some retailers wouldn’t buy from someone with a Jewish-sounding name. He built several businesses, including Reynolds Printasign, a sign-making equipment company, and he became famous for selling the first ballpoint pen in the United States.
In 1945, Reynolds spotted the potential of the Biro ballpoint and, with engineer William Huernergardt and machinist Titus Haffa, designed a gravity-fed pen that used thinner ink and a larger barrel to prevent leaks. The pen used a roller-ball tip and aircraft aluminum. An early ad claimed it could “write underwater,” a slogan that helped capture public imagination. The Reynolds pen went on sale at Gimbels in New York on October 29, 1945, for about $12.50. It was wildly popular, with millions produced in a short time and a surrounding “Pen Wars” with other major pen makers.
Reynolds later expanded his interests, launching the Reynolds Rocket model and seeking European markets, even buying a French estate to base operations in Europe. He eventually sold the pen business in pieces. He was also an early investor in Syntex, which helped develop the birth-control pill, and he created the “talking sign,” a promotional placard for retailers.
Aviation was another lifelong passion. In 1947 Reynolds and his crew completed a round-the-world flight aboard the Reynolds Bombshell, a modified bomber, setting a twin-engine propeller aircraft record. He undertook other adventurous expeditions, including journeys to the Himalayas and nearby mountains.
Besides business and flying, Reynolds wrote Hasta La Vista, a travel book about his South American adventures, published in 1944. He spent his later years traveling and living near Mexico City. Milton Reynolds died in 1976 at about age 83 or 84.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:20 (CET).