Walter Fredrick Morrison Inventor of the flying disc Date of Birth: 23.01.1920 Country: USA

Biography of Walter Frederick Morrison

Walter Frederick Morrison was an American inventor and entrepreneur, best known as the creator of the frisbee, the flying disc. He was born in Richfield, Utah. According to his own words, the idea of a toy in the shape of a flying disc came to him in 1937 when he was tossing a popcorn tin lid with his girlfriend, who later became his wife. The lid got dented, so Walter and Lu replaced it with a cake pan. They soon realized that cake pans flew much better and were more commonly found. Together, they started a small business selling "Flying Cake Pans" on the beaches of Santa Monica.

During World War II, Morrison learned a lot about aerodynamics while serving in the aviation field in Italy. He was shot down and spent forty-eight days as a prisoner of war. In 1946, Morrison developed his own design for the world's first flying disc, using the knowledge he gained during the war to improve the basic construction. In 1948, he found a sponsor named Warren Fransioni who agreed to invest in creating plastic models. They named the resulting product "flying saucers." In 1954, Morrison bought a batch of saucers from manufacturers and realized that he could make them himself at a low cost. In 1955, Walter and Lu developed another version of the toy, the one that the world knows today.

On January 23, 1957, the rights to their toy, then called the "Pluto Platter," were sold to the toy company "Wham-O." Initially, the toy was distributed under this name, but in 1958, the word "frisbee" was added in honor of a local pie company. This is how the disc came to be known as a "frisbee" – because it resembled the pies from the "Frisbies Pie Co." The word stuck and eventually became one of the world's most famous trademarks.

Walter and Lu had three children together. Lu passed away in 1987, and Walter survived her for over twenty years. He died on February 9, 2010, at the age of ninety, in his home. The announcement was made by Kye McIntyre, Walter's representative for copyright royalties, who also happened to be from Richfield. McIntyre emphasized how a simple toy had managed to capture the world's attention, and in terms of sales, the frisbee rivaled any other more practical invention. According to statistics, around two hundred million discs have been sold worldwide. Frisbees can be found on any college campus and beach, and there is even a range of sports dedicated to them.

Walt Morrison's son, Walt Jr., made a brief statement about his father's death, citing old age and cancer as the causes. He remembered his father as a talented entrepreneur and a genuinely good person always ready to help those in need. A disc golf course in Holladay, Utah was named in his honor. In 2001, Walter and avid frisbee enthusiast Phil Kennedy published a joint work. After Walter's death, Phil released a short biography of him and wished his departed friend a smooth flight. Walter's three children jointly organized his funeral and a memorial service, which took place at Cowboy Corral in Elsinore.