Saturday, February 13, 2010
Fred Morrison
He may not be the original discoverer of the flying disc, but Walter Frederick “Fred” Morrison will undoubtedly go down in history for his achievement. In the late 1950s, fledgling toy manufacturer Wham-O began selling the Frisbee, a simple plastic creation that became one of the most popular recreational products of all-time, and it was all thanks to Morrison.
After tossing around the lid of a popcorn tin in 1937, Morrison realized the joy people could have from playing with a light-weight cylindrical object. He first started selling “Flying Cake Pans” at the beach, and later developed the Whirlo-Way, which eventually morphed into the Flyin-Saucer to take advantage of America’s obsession with UFOs in the 1950s. Wham-O bought Morrison’s invention and named it the Frisbee, which went on to sell 200 million copies.
The creation of the flying disc, however, goes to William Russell Frisbie, founder of a pie-making company, at which workers in the early 20th century tossed around pie tins for fun.
Frisbee Creator Fred Morrison Dies (by Lynn Arave, Deseret News)
The History of the Disc (World Flying Disc Federation)
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