The Design Genius of the Frisbee. Yes, the Frisbee — wired.com

The best thing about a Frisbee: It’s easy. It sails effortlessly, and it’s so stable that you don’t need a shortstop’s coordination to catch it. The inventor, Walter Morrison, a carpenter with a knack for tinkering, came up with the idea for the simple toy by tossing empty cake pans. His breakthrough improvement, after switching from metal to molded plastic, was curving the disc’s outer edge like an airfoil. In 1955 he sold his invention to Wham-O—manufacturer of slingshots and Hula-Hoops—where a product designer named Ed Headrick made the final tweak of rippling the top with concentric ridges. These add turbulence, which holds air against the surface for a longer flight.

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