The Son of The Sealed Beam Headlight Inventor Created the Plastic Version of The FrisbeeThe game with flying tins captured the attention of Walter Frederick Morrison, the son of the inventor of the sealed beam headlight for automobiles. In 1948, Morrison took his interest in the Frisbee and combined it with his interest in aviation and plastic to create what we now know as the modern plastic Frisbee. His plastic version of the disc was originally carved out of a block of "Tenite," a type of cellulosic thermoplastic material that he used to form his flying disc.
Toy Company Wham-O Eventually Bought the Rights to The Frisbee Invention
In 1955, nearly a decade after he came up with the plastic version of the Frisbee, Morrison sold the invention to Wham-O, an American toy company. Two years later, Wham-O introduced it to the public as the "Pluto Platter." The name was in reference to the dwarf planet Pluto—Americans were highly captivated with UFOs at the time, and the disc resembled images of flying saucers. A year later, Wham-O altered the toy and introduced it to the public as the "Frisbee." It was an instant hit and continues to be a popular game. And while several other toy manufacturers make plastic flying discs, only Wham-O makes the authentic "Frisbee."
$400,000 Was Spent By the US Navy to Study the Frisbee's Motion
In 1968, the US Navy spent approximately $400,000 to study the Frisbee's motion and ability to remain suspended in the air. They used wind tunnels to measure the Frisbee's lift. Both spinning and non-spinning tests in wind tunnels were conducted to quantify the impact of spin on aerodynamic forces. Since then, many other wind tunnel studies have been conducted using the Frisbee.
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