Was the Slinky Created?

Mechanical engineer Richard James invented the Slinky by accident. In 1943, he was working to devise springs that could keep sensitive ship equipment steady at sea. After accidentally knocking some samples off a shelf, he watched in amazement as they gracefully “walked” down instead of falling.

What happened to the man who invented the Slinky?

He bought a coil-winding machine and started the James Spring & Wire Company to mass-produce the Slinky. ... Richard James died of a heart attack in 1974 in Bolivia. Betty died on November 20, 2008, age 90 of congestive heart failure at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

When was the original Slinky made?

While it was mechanical engineer Richard James who invented the Slinky while working at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in 1943 — trying to create springs that could hold items tight aboard moving ships — it was his wife, Betty, who gave the toy its name and brought the company out of financial ruin after Richard left ...