Richard James The Slinky Thesis Statement By accident, Richard James, created a toy that began a...
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Transcript of Richard James The Slinky Thesis Statement By accident, Richard James, created a toy that began a...
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 toyIt'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.abou
t.com/od/sstartinventions/a/slinky.htm• http://inventors.abou
t.com/od/sstartinventions/a/slinky.htm• http://en.wikipedia.o
rg/wiki/Richard_T._James
