Yo-Yo

First Mention: 500B.C.

Use: Hunting Weapon, Time Waster

Yo-yo’s you love them or hate them. A source of frustration or a source of enjoyment, it is up to you. But who would have thought the yo-yo was a weapon in every sense of the word?

The earliest records of yo-yo’s come from the Greeks who have depicted kids playing with yo-yo’s on their pottery dating back to 500 B.C. However it is also interesting to note the Philippines and the unique twist they applied to the yo-yo.

Records indicate the Filipino using rocks tied to long strings to hit unaware animals, as they stood mounted on top of tall trees. In fact, the word yo-yo is said to originate from the Filipino Ilikano language word yoyo. Filipino yo-yo’s would be constructed pretty much like modern yo-yo’s however the string would be much longer and instead of a plastic toy, a sharp rock was placed on the end of the string, would up and thrown to hit the poor animal. If they missed, the hunters would pull the string back and rewind the rock just like a yo-yo.

In 1866 James Haven of Cincinnati, Ohio took a patent on the general design of the yo-yo. However it was not until (oddly enough) a Filipino named Pedro Flores opened up a yo-yo manufacturing plant in Santa Barbara, California that the yo-yo really became popular.

So next time you go out and try playing with your yo-yo remember to be careful. You are in the possession of quite the valuable weapon…maybe one day guns will follow suit.