The Slinky—the popular springy wire toy—was invented in 1943 by engineer Richard James (1914–1974) while he was working on an antivibration device for ships' instruments. James was fascinated by the way one of the springs he had made "walked" down to the ground when he accidentally knocked it off a shelf. He took it home to show his wife, Betty (1918–), and together they promoted it as a toy. The Slinky first went on sale at Gimbel's Department Store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, just before Christmas 1945. Much to their surprise, the Jameses sold their entire stock of 400 Slinkys in just 90 minutes. At its fiftieth anniversary, over 250 million Slinkys had been sold. In 2002, it also comes in brightly colored plastic and, for $99.95, fourteen carat gold.

Accidentally invented in 1943, the Slinky went on to be one of the most celebrated toys of the twentieth century. UPI/Corbis-Bettmann. Reproduced by permission.

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