In the 1950's there were dozens of ballpoint models, and nearly every one took a different refill. So in 1953 Paul Fisher invented the "Universal Refill," which could be used in most pens. But he didn't stop there. After much experimentation he perfected the refill using thixotropic ink; the trick was to have the ink flow when you wanted it to, and not to flow the rest of the time, a problem Fisher solved.