This is the surprising reason your pen caps have holes in them

Admit it, you've always wondered why your pen caps came with those mysterious little holes in them.

Are they for decoration? Was it an accident that everyone just ran with? Does it make the ink dry out quicker thus requiring you to buy more pens?

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Turns out, there's a much more heroic answer behind it all. According to the Independent, the idea was conjured up by the French company, Bic, who added the holes to prevent people from choking to death if they were to accidentally swallow one.

As explained on the FAQ section of their website, Bic claims, "In addition to help prevent the pen from leaking, all our BIC® caps comply with international safety standards that attempt to minimize the risk of children accidentally inhaling pen caps."

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Business Insider points out that between 2000 and 2010, there were more than 10,000 reported cases of people swallowed parts of pens or pencils.