Yo-Yo Day

Yo-yos are essentially toys, generally composed of two cylindrical discs connected by an axle, with an attached string. Terracotta examples of yo-yos have been found in Ancient Greek art dating between 400 – 500 BC. The first modern patent of a yo-yo was in 1866 by James Haven and Charles Hettrich, and it was named a ‘whirligig’ and a ‘bandalore’.

Every year on June 6, we celebrate National Yo-Yo Day. It coincides with the birthday of Chicago businessman Donald F. Duncan Sr, who in the 1930s, got into the yo-yo business. Yo-Yo was first sold in the US by Pedro Flores, a Philippine immigrant. In the 1920s, Flores began making the toy in America and was fascinated by how people here took to the toy.