1957 : Toy company Wham-O produces first Frisbees
On this day in 1957, machines at the Wham-O toy company roll out the
first batch of their aerodynamic plastic discs--now known to millions
of fans all over the world as Frisbees.
The story of the Frisbee began in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where
William Frisbie opened the Frisbie Pie Company in 1871. Students from
nearby universities would throw the empty pie tins to each other,
yelling "Frisbie!" as they let go. In 1948, Walter Frederick Morrison
and his partner Warren Franscioni invented a plastic version of the
disc called the "Flying Saucer" that could fly further and more
accurately than the tin pie plates. After splitting with Franscioni,
Morrison made an improved model in 1955 and sold it to the new toy
company Wham-O as the "Pluto Platter"--an attempt to cash in on the
public craze over space and Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs).
In 1958, a year after the toy's first release, Wham-O--the company
behind such top-sellers as the Hula-Hoop, the Super Ball and the Water
Wiggle--changed its name to the Frisbee disc, misspelling the name of
the historic pie company. A company designer, Ed Headrick, patented
the design for the modern Frisbee in December 1967, adding a band of
raised ridges on the disc's surface--called the Rings--to stabilize
flight. By aggressively marketing Frisbee-playing as a new sport,
Wham-O sold over 100 million units of its famous toy by 1977.
High school students in Maplewood, New Jersey, invented Ultimate
Frisbee, a cross between football, soccer and basketball, in 1967. In
the 1970s, Headrick himself invented Frisbee Golf, in which discs are
tossed into metal baskets; there are now hundreds of courses in the
U.S., with millions of devotees. There is also Freestyle Frisbee, with
choreographed routines set to music and multiple discs in play, and
various Frisbee competitions for both humans and dogs--the best
natural Frisbee players.
Today, at least 60 manufacturers produce the flying discs--generally
made out of plastic and measuring roughly 20-25 centimeters (8-10
inches) in diameter with a curved lip. The official Frisbee is owned
by Mattel Toy Manufacturers, who bought the toy from Wham-O in 1994.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1957 : Toy company Wham-O produces first Frisbees
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52349
1849 : First woman M.D.
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4701
1922 : Insulin injection aids diabetic patient
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4702
1968 : USS Pueblo captured
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6785
1997 : Albright sworn in as secretary of state
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4703
#########################################
On this day in 1957, machines at the Wham-O toy company roll out the
first batch of their aerodynamic plastic discs--now known to millions
of fans all over the world as Frisbees.
The story of the Frisbee began in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where
William Frisbie opened the Frisbie Pie Company in 1871. Students from
nearby universities would throw the empty pie tins to each other,
yelling "Frisbie!" as they let go. In 1948, Walter Frederick Morrison
and his partner Warren Franscioni invented a plastic version of the
disc called the "Flying Saucer" that could fly further and more
accurately than the tin pie plates. After splitting with Franscioni,
Morrison made an improved model in 1955 and sold it to the new toy
company Wham-O as the "Pluto Platter"--an attempt to cash in on the
public craze over space and Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs).
In 1958, a year after the toy's first release, Wham-O--the company
behind such top-sellers as the Hula-Hoop, the Super Ball and the Water
Wiggle--changed its name to the Frisbee disc, misspelling the name of
the historic pie company. A company designer, Ed Headrick, patented
the design for the modern Frisbee in December 1967, adding a band of
raised ridges on the disc's surface--called the Rings--to stabilize
flight. By aggressively marketing Frisbee-playing as a new sport,
Wham-O sold over 100 million units of its famous toy by 1977.
High school students in Maplewood, New Jersey, invented Ultimate
Frisbee, a cross between football, soccer and basketball, in 1967. In
the 1970s, Headrick himself invented Frisbee Golf, in which discs are
tossed into metal baskets; there are now hundreds of courses in the
U.S., with millions of devotees. There is also Freestyle Frisbee, with
choreographed routines set to music and multiple discs in play, and
various Frisbee competitions for both humans and dogs--the best
natural Frisbee players.
Today, at least 60 manufacturers produce the flying discs--generally
made out of plastic and measuring roughly 20-25 centimeters (8-10
inches) in diameter with a curved lip. The official Frisbee is owned
by Mattel Toy Manufacturers, who bought the toy from Wham-O in 1994.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1957 : Toy company Wham-O produces first Frisbees
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52349
1849 : First woman M.D.
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4701
1922 : Insulin injection aids diabetic patient
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4702
1968 : USS Pueblo captured
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6785
1997 : Albright sworn in as secretary of state
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4703
#########################################
No comments:
Post a Comment