A quick history (short, therefore not boring)

The Slinky has been used as a toy by millions of adults and children around the world. It was invented in 1943 by Richard James and it was first marketed in 1945. The Slinky was originally made near the Philadelphia area, but shortly thereafter it was moved to Hollidaysburg, PA where it has remained for the last 40 some years. The Slinky toy can not only be used for entertainment, but it can also be used in physics classes to demonstrate wave properties, forces, and energy states.

"Richard James invented the Slinky by accident. He was trying to develop a spring that could help keep sensitive ship-board instruments steady at sea. He knocked some of these experimental springs off a shelf, and was amused by the way they "walked" down, rather than just falling." from The Learning Kingdom who sited this set of pages for their Cool Facts Award on April 8, 1997. We rocommend you visit the Learning Kingdom!

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