Frisbee design, history, and recreational applications

¶ … Frisbee [...] history and development of the Frisbee. Frisbee's are flung around the world, but how and where did the poplar Frisbee develop? Many legends surround the development of the Frisbee, from Hollywood film workers developed it after tossing empty film can lids around the backlots, to a Yale student claiming the first Frisbee was actually a chapel collection plate tossed across the campus (Malafronte 20-21). However the Frisbee developed, it has become one of the most popular toys in history. Not bad for an innocent plastic disk!

Many legends revolve around the invention of the Frisbee, but the most widely accepted story centers on the Frisbe Pie Company, located in Bridgeport Connecticut. It seems the Pie Company's workers enjoyed flinging empty pie tins around during their breaks. This "sport" eventually spread to New England college campuses, and continue to grow in popularity. By the early 1950s, most students in New England knew what a "frisbee" was and how to use it (Malafronte 21).

Of course, the modern Frisbee is far removed from a metal pie tin imprinted with the word "Frisbe" on the bottom. So, how did the modern plastic disc evolve? It came about in Los Angeles in 1948. Walter Frederick Morrison was a building inspector and part-time inventor. He and his partner, Warren Franscioni "invented a plastic version of the Frisbie that could fly further and with better accuracy than a tin pie plate" (Bellis). The two men first began drawing their prototype "Whirlo Way" in 1946, and refined it until it became the "Flyin Saucer" in 1948. Originally, these discs were "rock hard" and weighed in at a hefty six ounces (Malafronte 73). It was not until 1953 that the saucers evolved into softer plastic as they are today. In 1951, Franscioni was called up for active duty in the Air Force, and Morrison took over the company and trademarked another flying disc that he called the "Pluto Platter." He patented it in 1957, and left Franscioni off the patent. In 1956, Morrison teamed up with two other men and formed "Wham-O Manufacturing Company," and the rest is history. Wham-O produced the Frisbee, and a number of other popular and memorable toys, such as the Super Ball and the Slip-n-Slide (Malafronte 73-75).

What makes the Frisbee such an excellent flying disc? There are many different aerodynamic principles at work in the Frisbee, but the basic principles are that the slight rounding of the disc and the edge that is rounded underneath mimic an aircraft wing. A group of UC Davis engineers writes, "As air passes over the curved upper surface of the Frisbee it speeds-up, creating a low-pressure region on top of the Frisbee. Below the Frisbee air passes more slowly, creating a high-pressure region. The difference in pressure gives the Frisbee lift" (Editors). Lift is exactly what causes an airplane to remain aloft, as well. Thus, the aerodynamics of the Frisbee make it the perfect air sail; just ask anyone who knows how to throw one! NASA engineers are studying the aerodynamics of the Frisbee as they develop plans to launch small satellites into space by hurling them like Frisbees. Three authors note, "Pete and his team have designed a device that can fling a nanosat [mini-satellite] off the back of its host rocket. 'It's a lot like throwing a Frisbee,' he explains" (Fisher, Phillips, and Schugart). Thus, the Frisbee technology may reach outer space in ways the inventors never could have imagined.

Today, the Frisbee is one of the most common toys around the world. You can see it used in dog agility championships, at the beach or park, and in many competitive Frisbee tournaments, including Frisbee Golf, Frisbee Baseball, and many others. Many people consider Fred Headrick to be the father of modern Frisbee competition. Headrick took over as Vice President of Sales at Wham-O in 1964, and he changed the design of the disc just a bit by adding "flight rings" along the shoulder of a new Frisbee Pro-model disc. These grooves gave the thrower more control over where the disc went. He also formed the Junior Frisbee Championships and World Frisbee Championships, which got literally thousands of people into the sport (Malafronte 80-81). From there, championships in a variety of Frisbee sports sprung up all around the world.