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Teich's Tech Tidbit of the Week
November 25, 2002
Frisbee®: From Fad to International Sport
Teich's Tech Tidbit of the Week
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| Back in the late 19th century, students at American colleges discovered
that the pie tins made by the Frisbie Baking Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut,
were the perfect thing to throw back and forth on their campus lawns on
warm spring days. The fad is said to have started at Yale University,
which is located in New Haven, not far from Bridgeport. The saucer-shaped
tins, they found, had excellent aerodynamic qualities, and when thrown
with a spin and launched at various angles, could gain lift, fly surprisingly
far, and, with a little practice, be made to curve, hover, and do a variety
of tricks.
Despite the popularity of the pie tins, it took over 50 years for Walter Frederick Morrison and Warren Franscioni to come up with the idea of making a plastic version designed specifically for throwing. Morrison's "Pluto Platter" failed to take off, however, and it was not until Rich Knerr and Spud Mellin founded the Wham-O company a decade later and bought the rights to the product, which they renamed the "Frisbee," that flying discs became a nationwide fad. Then, in the 1960s, technology entered the picture. Edward E. "Steady Ed" Headrick, an inventor and entrepreneur working for Wham-O, came up with the idea of adding concentric grooved ridges or "spoilers" to the top of the Frisbee®. The modification, which was patented in 1967, helped reduce air resistance and made it possible to throw the Frisbee® with greater ease and accuracy. Headrick went on to invent the game of disc golf (see links below). Ed Headrick died on August 12, 2002 in La Selva, California. According to his obituary in The Santa Cruz Sentinel, there was no funeral. Instead, his ashes were molded into "a limited number of memorial flying discs," some of which were to be distributed to family and friends and the remainder sold, with the profits going to establish a Frisbee® and disc golf museum. |
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Buy The Complete Book of Frisbee: The History of the Sport & the First Official Price Guide, by Victor A. Malafronte, F. Davis Johnson (Editor), and Rachel Forbes (Illustrator) from Amazon.com. "The first comprehensive history of the frisbee, from the dawn of the flying disc in 700 b.c. to modern-day games, including frisbee golf, ultimate frisbee, and worldwide competition." The Ultimate Players Association -- "governing body of the sport of Ultimate in the US." A large site with information about the UPA, its competitions and tournaments, rules and history of the sport, links to clubs, news, and much more. See, also, What is Ultimate Frisbee? The Frisbee Dog Page. "Canine disc sports are growing by leaps and bounds! This page is a comprehensive listing of resources on the web for those interested in the sport, whether you be a competitor, or just a fan." Many links to sites with photos of dogs playing Frisbee, information about training, competitions, etc. The Freestyle Frisbee Page, maintained by Tom Leitner. "Instructional tips, animations and tournament news covering the exciting new sport of freestyle Frisbee." Excellent tips on how to throw a Frisbee. Wham-O's Frisbee home page. Product information from the company that made Frisbee a worldwide phenomenon. Features 8 recreational models (including the "Heatwave" which changes color in sunlight and the "Moonlighter" which glows in the dark) and 5 "world class" models for serious competition. The "Guts Frisbee" home page. Yet another form of Frisbee competition brought to you by the friendly folks at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan, where this version of Frisbee apparently was invented. Aerodynamics of the Frisbee -- What makes it fly the way it does? It gains lift the same way that an airplane wing does and gets stability from the angular momentum of its spin. A brief, fairly lucid presentation that does not require a degree in physics to understand. Frisbee is popular in many countries. Here is a random selection
of international Frisbee sites:
Thomas Griesbaum's International Frisbeesport. A rather nice collection of information and links to frisbee associations in various countries, mostly in Europe. Includes links to nearly 70 (!) German Frisbee clubs. The World Flying Disc Federation. More news and links from the world of Frisbee. Strinz Virtual Frisbee Museum home page. Photos of Mr. Strinz's collection of flying discs. History of the Frisbee on About.com. Interesting, readable presentation with links and a few illustrations, as well as some frisbee trivia.. The
Frisbie Pie Company. Brief history of the baking company said
to be the original source of flying discs.
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