Made in the US
Inventing America: Discover the roots of these 10 national classics
Image: Tara Winstead
Ever wonder how everyday favorites like the Frisbee, Gatorade, or even the Zamboni came to be? Behind each one is a quirky story of chance, innovation, and a bit of luck, like most of the best inventions! From playground toys to sports essentials, these simple creations have become cultural icons. Let’s take a look at the surprising origins of these classic inventions and the clever minds that brought them to life. You might be amazed by how much history is hidden in the things we love!
1
The frisbee
Image: Robin Jonathan Deutsch
The best things are often created by accident, and you never know when that accident will strike. For example, did you know the Frisbee was born from a humble cake pan?
In 1938, Fred Morrison and his girlfriend were tossing a pan around on a beach in Connecticut when a passerby offered to buy it. That moment sparked an idea that stayed with Morrison through his service in World War II, where he learned about aerodynamics and began to dream of creating the perfect flying disk. After several failed attempts, he finally hit on a design in the 1950s, calling it the "Pluto-Platter."
Enter Wham-O, a company known for quirky toys like the Hula-Hoop. They bought the rights in 1957, gave it the now-iconic name "Frisbee" (inspired by Yale students tossing pie tins from the Frisbie Pie Company), and refined the design. The Frisbee took off—quite literally—spinning its way into parks, beaches, and backyards across America.
2
The slinky
Image: Adam Valstar
The slinky was also the result of accidental creativity in 1943 when Richard James, a naval engineer, knocked a spring off a shelf and noticed it "walked" in a curious way. Intrigued, he refined the design, and with his wife Betty’s help, they turned it into a toy sensation. Although the name was purely her idea!
In 1945, a demo at Gimbels Department Store sold 400 units in 90 minutes, and the Slinky quickly became a household name.
Without going into too much detail, Richard later took a wrong turn, and it was Betty who stepped in as CEO, saving the company from financial ruin. She even commissioned the iconic Slinky jingle! Under her leadership, the Slinky sold 300 million units before she finally sold the company in 1998. Talk about female power, huh?
3
The Ferris wheel
Image: Steve Shreve
Did you know the Ferris wheel was named after a person? That person was George Ferris who, in 1893, introduced the Ferris wheel at the Chicago Columbian Exposition.
Ferris, a young engineer, proposed the idea of a massive steel wheel that would rival the Eiffel Tower both in size and symbolism. He certainly set quite the challenge for himself!
Though initially rejected, Ferris funded his own research to prove the design’s safety, and his persistence paid off. The Ferris wheel became the star attraction—naturally since it stood 250 feet tall and offered visitors a thrilling 20-minute ride for fifty cents.
Sadly, Ferris’s success was short-lived. After the fair, he faced legal battles and financial ruin, and so the original wheel had one last appearance at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 before being destroyed.
4
Gatorade
Image: Jacob Rice
Sports legends become such because they strive to get better. And because they had a good coach who had their back. An example of a coach who went above and beyond was that of Florida’s football team.
In 1965, the Florida Gators’ football coach asked a group of professors if there was a way to help players reload fluids lost during games. Led by Dr. Robert Cade, the team created a mix of water, sodium, sugar, and lemon juice, later called "Gatorade," you can imagine why.
Of course, the first few versions tasted awful, but after some adjustments, the drink became more palatable. The Gators credited their improved performance, including their 1967 Orange Bowl win, to this new beverage.
No gatekeeping on the teams’ side, word spread, and by 1970, Gatorade was under the national spotlight when the Kansas City Chiefs used it in their Super Bowl victory.
5
The super ball
Image: Shubham Dhage
Some toys became popular after being discovered to be useless for anything else! That was the case with the Super Ball.
In 1964, chemist Norman Stingley invented a unique synthetic rubber but couldn't find an industrial use for it. However, he quickly found a solution: he turned to Wham-O, the toy company behind the Hula-Hoop and they released the Super Ball in 1966. The ball, made from the secret ingredient "Zectron," could bounce to incredible heights.
Aside from the fun, we have something else to thank the Super Ball for—it inspired the name of one of the biggest events in sports today. Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, saw his daughter play with the toy and jokingly suggested to NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle that the first championship game between the NFL and AFL should be called the "Super Bowl." The rest is history!
6
Fritos
Image: Roberto Carlos Román Don
Few things are as American as snacks, don’t you think? Let’s take a look at how Fritos came to be!
In 1932, Charles E. Doolin, a San Antonio confectioner, was looking for a new product when he bought a fried corn recipe from a man named Gustavo Olguin for $100.
After tweaking the recipe, Doolin created bite-sized corn chips called Fritos, which quickly became a hit. By 1933, Fritos were being mass-produced, and Doolin pioneered new marketing strategies, like direct stocking and placing clip-racks near cash registers—making his product even more accessible. (We all fall for that one, don’t deny it!)
But that’s not all. Doolin’s business success led him to invest in Disneyland, where his "Casa de Fritos" restaurant accidentally gave birth to Doritos.
7
Crossword puzzle
Image: Ross Sneddon
It feels like the crossword puzzle has been around forever, but it wasn’t actually invented until 1913. Arthur Wynne, working for the New York World newspaper, was asked to create a challenging puzzle for the "Fun" section. The concept of fun is indeed a time-sensitive concept!
The inspiration came from a childhood word game: he designed a puzzle with clues instead of words and the first crossword was published on December 21, 1913. Want to hear a fun fact? One of the clues was "What this puzzle is." The answer? "Hard."
And this invention is full of interesting tidbits. For instance, the name "Cross-word" was the result of a typing mistake—but it stuck! And, over a hundred years later, here we are!
8
Alka-Seltzer
Image: Daniel Gregoire
Alka-Seltzer was born in 1928 when Hub Beardsley, president of the Dr. Miles Medical Company, noticed a local newspaper staff staying healthy during a flu epidemic. The editor told him their secret: aspirin with baking soda dissolved in water. Inspired by this, Beardsley asked his chief chemist, Maurice Treneer, to create a remedy based on the idea, leading to a compound of aspirin, bicarbonate of soda, and Vitamin C. When Beardsley tested it on flu sufferers, the results were promising—and Alka-Seltzer was born.
You can imagine what happened next, a strong advertising campaign in the 1930s, turned Alka-Seltzer into the go-to remedy for everything from colds to hangovers. The company rebranded as Miles Laboratories in 1935 and was later acquired by Bayer in 1979. Even today, Alka-Seltzer remains a staple of American medicine cabinets.
9
Zamboni
Image: Aleksi Partanen
One would think that a machine like the Zamboni, which is used to make ice smooth was created in a place like Alaska, right? Or at least a place where snow is present almost all year round. Surprisingly, it wasn’t—the Zamboni was invented in sunny Paramount, California.
Frank Zamboni, a man who came from the ice and refrigeration business, built the machine to save time at his Skateland Skating Rink. Before the Zamboni, resurfacing the ice was a 90-minute task done manually by five workers. Can you imagine how tedious that must have been?
Using parts from an airplane, oil derrick, Jeep, and wooden bin, Zamboni created a machine that could clean and smooth the ice in only a few minutes. Realizing its potential, Zamboni turned his invention into a business, with the first orders coming from Olympic skater Sonja Henie and the Chicago Black Hawks.
10
Baseball scoreboard
Image: Taiki Ishikawa
It goes without saying that baseball is one of Americans’ favorite pastimes. Everything about it is fun; it’s not just the game.
In the late 1800s, English immigrant Harry M. Stevens saw that and made the most of it. After moving to Ohio, Stevens started a business providing food and drinks at baseball games and eventually secured contracts with major league ballparks. While he’s often credited with popularizing the hot dog, his real innovation was the creation of the modern baseball scorecard. Using Henry Chadwick's shorthand scoring system, Stevens designed a simple grid fans could use to track the game. Does the phrase "You can't tell the players without a scorecard" ring any bells?
Stevens’s scorecard caught on, and fans began scoring games themselves. Today, his scorecard system is still in use, and we all love it!
