Richard James The Slinky

Thesis Statement By accident, Richard James, created a toy that began a craze that has lasted decades.

Early Life and Education Richard Thompson James was born on January 1, 1914. Graduated from Westtown School, a Quaker boarding school in Cheser County, PA, in 1935. In 1939 he graduated from The Pennsylvania Sate University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

His Invention Richard James was trying to develop a way to suspend sensitive instruments on a naval vessel, even in rough seas. He was working with tension springs and accidently dropped on. He came up for the idea for a toy when he saw how the spring kept moving even after it was dropped.

His Invention (Cont.) With a $500 loan, he developed a coil winding machine and started a company to mass-produce the toy called the Slinky. His wife gave the toy the name Slinky. Since invented in 1945, around 300 million Slinkys have been purchased

Impact of Slinky® The slinky was an accidental discovery/invention Millions have been sold. It has been used to Demonstrate properties of waves. Troops used them as mobile radio antennas Zero gravity experiments for NASA The Slinky has been a household name for over 60 years.

Notable Toy The Slinky Jingle: "What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, And makes a slinkity sound? A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing, Everyone knows it’s Slinky… It's Slinky, it's Slinky, for fun it's a wonderful toy It's Slinky, it's Slinky, it's fun for a girl and a boy Richard James told his wife Betty, "I think I can make a toy out of this" and then spent the next two years figuring out the best steel gauge and coil to use for the toy.

Conclusion The slinky may not be a life saving device or have made a social impact on the world but it did make many children across the world happy. When something created from an accident can go on and sell millions, become a household name and stay around for as long as it has, it has clearly made an impact on popular culture.

Sources http://inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventions/a/slinky.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_T._James