A Frisbee is usually a plastic disc, round in shape with a lip around it. It is also known as a flying disc. It is held by the edge and flung through the air at a tangent to the human body. When thrown, Frisbees travel a significant distance through the air and land smoothly due to their aerodynamic design. Throwing Frisbees between two or more people is a form of entertainment and recreation. A Frisbee is generally 20 to 25 centimetres in diameter.
A variation of these discs was used in Ancient India. These metallic discs, known as “chakras”, had sharp edges and were used as weapons in the battlefield. Earlier discs were made of clay and were used for trap shooting – the discs are thrown up in the air and marksmen shoot them in mid air. The aerodynamic principle of spinning discs made them popular as devices which could traverse a long distance.
The sources of Frisbees in history are numerous. Children used empty pie tins as discs to throw and this became a favourite pastime. The girlfriend of Walter Fredrick Morrison tossed a popcorn lid which flew a considerable distance. Inspired by this, in 1946, he sketched out plans for a disc called the Whirlo-Way which he developed with Warren Franscioni. In 1948, it went on to be the first commercially made Frisbee. In 1955, he made a new flying disc called the Pluto Platter in view of the American public’s interest in UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects).
Throwing Frisbees is a popular sport. Ultimate Frisbee is a non-contact sport played using the disc. Major innovations in Frisbee design came about when dog owners started using them to play with their dogs. Competition dogs can catch Frisbees flying at nine feet. These Frisbees are specially made to be softer and do not have a lip. This makes it safer for dogs to hold in their mouths. Another Frisbee design is the fluorescent or glowing Frisbee, which lights up when thrown. These are popularly used at night. There are also discs which have a whistle within them.
This version emits a whistling sound as it passes through air. Frisbees are used to play disc golf, where a round flatter disc is thrown into a basket. In this game, players complete a course and the winner is the person with the least number of throws into the basket on each course.
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