On May 20, 1873, San Francisco businessman Levi Strauss and
Reno, Nevada, tailor Jacob Davis (above) were given a patent to
create work pants reinforced with metal rivets, marking the birth
of one of the world’s most famous garments: blue jeans.
On January 23, 1957, machines at the Wham-O toy company rolled out the
first batch of their aerodynamic plastic discs—now known to millions of
fans all over the world as Frisbees.
The story of the Frisbee began in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where William
Frisbie opened the Frisbie Pie Company in 1871. Students from nearby
universities would throw the empty pie tins to each other, yelling “Frisbie!”
as they let go. In 1948, Walter Frederick Morrison and his partner Warren
Franscioni invented a plastic version of the disc called the “Flying Saucer”
that could fly further and more accurately than the tin pie plates. After
splitting with Franscioni, Morrison made an improved model in 1955 and
sold it to the new toy company Wham-O as the “Pluto Platter”–an attempt
to cash in on the public craze over space and Unidentified Flying Objects
(UFOs).
Walter Fredrick "Fred" Morrison
(January 23, 1920 – February 9, 2010)
ED DANAHUE
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins is 82 years old today.
Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins is best known for his portrayal of the
ingenious serial killer Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs
(1991), a role that won him the Academy Award for Best Actor. He
has also played roles in The Mask of Zorro (1998) and Nixon (1995).
Hopkins turned to TV in 2016 upon landing a starring role on HBO’s
series Westworld. He was encouraged by actor Richard Burton to
pursue acting at age 15.
SHIRLEY SMITH
Thomas A. Edison announced he had devised a method to record
sound with the invention of his phonograph on this day in 1877. It ushered in a new era of music and spoken word.
SANDY KOZEL
Aviator Wiley Post ended his around-the-world flight on this day in
1933. He had traveled 15,596 miles in 7 days, 18 hours, and 49
minutes. He was the first aviator to accomplish the feat. He began
the journey on July 15, flying nonstop to Berlin.
Wiley Hardeman Post (November 22, 1898 – August 15, 1935)
The “Winnie Mae” is on display at a branch of the Smithsonian’s
National Air and Space Museum.
