On this day in 1866 the patent for the Whirligig was granted. U.S. Patent No. 59,745.
The Whirligig was invented by James L. Haven and Charles Hettrick, of Cincinnati, Ohio. This patent application was granted on November 20, 1866 as U.S. Patent No. 59,745.
The above mentioned invention has gone by many names, the banderole, the Whirligig, and most commonly now known as the yo-yo. The Whirligig has two similar plates or disks, having on their outer sides a marginal rim or swell and having a central aperture, surrounded on the inner side of each disk by an indented annular boss, the indentation of one boss being adapted to receive the projections of the other boss, so as to interlock firmly together on the principle of a clutch on the insertion and clenching of a rivet.
The yo-yo has been around for over twenty-five hundred years, it is considered the second oldest toy in history. In Greece the toy was made of wood, metal and terra cotta, it would be decorated with images of Greek Gods and placed on an alter to pay homage. In some countries such as the Philippines, they actually used the yo-yo as a weapon! They put sharp edges and studs on it and would fling the yoyo on a twenty foot rope at enemies.
The yo-yo didn’t start gaining momentum in the United States until the 1920s, A Philippine immigrant Pedro Flores started mass producing them and calling them yo-yos. D.F. Duncan Sr. liked what Pedro was doing, bought the rights from him, and trademarked the name Yo-Yo in 1929.
Although this invention is not as popular as it once was, selling 45 million units in 1962, it still entertains children and some adults. Who doesn’t remember getting their first yo-yo as a kid and spending countless hours trying to master it and some of the fun tricks you’d seen; walk the dog, the sleeper or around the world. Again, not the most popular toy out there now but a great memory of almost every childhood.
http://inventors.about.com/od/xyzstartinventions/a/yoyo.htm