Monday in History: March 5th - The Day We Met Our Best Friend

Hello Again, 

Yes, we are at it again, learning a little about our lives as we ponder the past. While today is also the date of the Boston Massacre (1770), I thought I'd stick with a more pleasant topic. As winter fades, let's take a look at something from childhood.

-Monday in History-

March 5th:

On this day in 1963, the Hula-Hoop was first patented. While similar prop/movement hoops have been see in various cultures for centuries, a plastic tubing version was invented by Arthur K. "Spud" Melin and Richard Knerr and would first hit the market 1958. This toy for all ages would become a cultural phenomenon in the late 50's/early 60's, selling roughly 100 million units within two years. Melin and Knerr would go on to found one of the most unique and influential toy companies of all time: Wham-O.  For some perspective on this company, Wham-O would also be the first to produce the Slip N' Slide and the Freshman Favorite: Frisbee.

So, before we start the week looking at how bad things might be and blaming humanities' problems on corporate greed and political discontent, let's all take just a moment to remember a good thing. Wham-O has been there for you from the beginning making life wonderful.

Wham-O first let us laugh at ourselves. We were four years old in the Spring of life, trying a hula-hoop for the first time. Frantically, we swung your hips back and forth not wanting to look down and risk a break concentration. We never quite managed to get it to work, but that was ok, because being a kid was alright.

Later, summer would come and cry out "Adventure!" The long hot days would have kept us inside if Wham-O hadn't returned with a long yellow sheet of plastic wonder. It only asked we provide a hose and other neighborhood kids to slide and slip with us. It destroyed the lawn but made summer the sweet memory that it is.

Those enjoyable summer days left and the autumn of budding adulthood came. Wham-O appeared once again as an old friend with a flying disk that never let us forget the heights our imaginations could reach. The frisbee was a circular peace stick that could make friends with anyone across the quad. Just catch and throw to begin. Marvelous, how we go along not knowing the causes of our joys, But now we can all remember one of them.

Thank you Wham-O, our old friend we never knew.


Thanks for reading, Good Luck Out There