Fred Morrison, a World War II combat pilot and POW, is the American who launched the Frisbee.

Fred Morrison launched a leisure lifestyle with his fantastic plastic flying saucer.

After surviving a steel missile attack in the skies over Europe during World War II, his contribution to global recreation gained recognition.

The Frisbee, originally known as Flyin' Cake Pans and later Whirlo-Way, was first called by Morrison, a Southern California beach boy.

Tristan Lin, brand director for Wham-O, informed Planet Chronicle Digital that it was an immediate occurrence.

"In no time, all American college students were playing Frisbee."

In California, Wham-O is known for popularizing the hula-hoop, super ball, and Morrison's Frisbee, along with other whimsical innovations.

The genius of the Frisbee "is its simplicity," said Lin.

"It was an instant phenomenon."

Before his Frisbee took flight, Morrison was inspired by the act of slinging baking pans through the air, a common recreational activity.

Illumin Magazine, the online engineering publication from the University of Southern California, reported on the physics of the flying disc, stating that it began as a simple container for pies.

"It eventually became an immensely popular and internationally recognized toy."

The Frisbee became more than just a plastic toy; it symbolized American confidence, optimism, and victory.

"To me, the Frisbee embodies America," stated Wham-O’s Lin. "It represents patriotism and is a reflection of our country's culture, creativity, and competitive spirit."

After the war, America's war heroes were motivated to bring joy to their country.

Another combat hero pilot, Fredric Arnold, the American who invented the folding beach chair, has a hauntingly mirrored story to Morrison's.

Airborne kick the can

In rural Richfield, Utah, on January 23, 1920, Walter Frederick Morrison came into the world.

Dr. Walter F. Morrison, his father, relocated his optometry practice and family to Los Angeles when he was 11 years old.

During the Great Depression, even common objects provided entertainment. The Frisbee originated from an aerial version of kick the can.

The National Museum of Play inducted the plastic surf-and-sand flying disc into its Toy Hall of Fame in 1988, and the Frisbee story began in college.

"In the late 19th century, students at Yale and other New England universities played catch with pie plates made by the nearby Frisbie Baking Co. of Bridgeport, Connecticut. They would shout "Frisbie!" to alert onlookers to stay away from the spinning discs."

The campus tradition gained air on a sunny SoCal beach in 1937.

According to industry lore, Morrison, a teenager, was tossing a 5-cent cake pan with his girlfriend Lucille when a sunbather approached them. The man offered Morrison 25 cents for the pan.

The couple instantly realized the profit potential.

Soon, 'Flyin' Cake Pans' were available at beaches and parks all over L.A., as Phil Kennedy wrote in an online account of Morrison's life story.

The 2006 book "Flat Flip Flies Straight!: True Origins of the Frisbee" was co-authored by Kennedy and the inventor.

The couple instantly realized the profit potential.

Fred and Lu got married after buying discs for their dates.

In World War II, Morrison joined the Army Air Force and piloted P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bombers.

"The National World War II Museum describes the P-47 as a massive 5-ton warplane, loaded with 3 tons of fuel, bombs, and ammunition."

His luck and skill ran out during the 58th nerve-wracking mission.

He was shot down in Italy and captured by the Germans.

According to a 2021 Frisbee chronicle published in The Saturday Evening Post, he was imprisoned as a POW for more than a month, but he managed to endure.

"Following the war's conclusion and his return home, Morrison's thoughts shifted towards his handmade flyer."

Luck arrives from out of space

The mechanics of flinging a Frisbee were familiar to humanity for millennia.

Since ancient times, people have been throwing flat, spherical objects for amusement and to observe them float in the air against gravity, as described by Morrison and Kennedy.

Later, it was discovered that flying objects could also be used as weapons, which led to organized sporting events, such as hurling the discus at the early Greek Olympics.

Morrison infused an entrepreneurial spirit into the traditional spiraling missile design, turning it into a lucrative leisure activity.

Morrison gained intense wisdom about soaring after his 1937 epiphany while studying at Uncle Sam's school of survival.

Kennedy wrote that his flying experience gave him new insights into aerodynamics and inspired him to continue once out of service.

In 1946, Morrison released his first new disc, the Whirlo-Way, which was made of pressed metal. However, it was later replaced with a lighter disc due to advancements in plastics.

Unforeseen fortune also arrived from out of space – or did it?

In 1946, there were no flying saucers, at least by that name, as reported by the Flying Disc Museum in Phoenix, Arizona.

"It’s a symbol of American culture and creativity and a laid-back, playful but competitive United States."

In June 1947, both Pilot Ken Arnold in Washington state and Roswell, New Mexico were the focal points of UFO sightings and conspiracies.

America's emerging mass media dubbed the aerial phenomenon "flying saucers."

The flying discs, resembling Morrison's Whirlo-Way, were the obsession of the nation's emerging consumer culture.

In 1955, he introduced the Pluto Platter, which was a new and innovative design, after previously renaming an improved version as the Flyin-Saucer.

On his 37th birthday on Jan. 23, 1957, the war hero celebrated by signing a deal with Wham-0, a successful toy marketing company.

The Frisbee was named by Wham-O, allegedly after the pans from Frisbie Baking Co. that students at Yale tossed around on the Connecticut campus.

Morrison said he "hated" the name. Then the royalties arrived.

Wham-O reportedly sold 100 million Frisbees by the mid-1960s.

'Obvious connection’ with another WWII pilot, inventor

On Feb. 9, 2010, Walter Frederick "Fred" Morrison, a 90-year-old man from Monroe, Utah, passed away at his home after fighting cancer and the passage of time.

He made international headlines when he passed away.

The obituary published worldwide stated that Kay McIff, Morrison's attorney, revealed that the simple little toy has spread to every continent and country, with as many homes having Frisbees as any other device ever invented.

"What would you do during your youth without mastering the art of throwing a Frisbee?"

The postwar story of Morrison shares a chilling resemblance to the American inventor of the folding beach chair, Frederic Arnold.

Both Arnold and Fred flew dual-purpose pursuit planes, with Arnold piloting a P-38. Both survived over 50 harrowing combat missions. Both were eventually shot down and sent to German prisoner-of-war camps.

To discover more stories in the distinctive "Meet the American Who..." collection from Planet Chronicle Digital, please click here.

Fred Morrison and Fred Arnold, both born on Jan. 23, shared the same birthday.

The men conceived their inventions while married to women, at the beach.

Marc Arnold stated that there is a clear link between his dad and Morrison, as Planet Chronicle Digital pointed out their similarities.

"After experiencing the horrors of war, they aimed to construct a new reality. Surviving the carnage led them to contemplate the purpose of life if there were not also joyous opportunities on the other end."