The early history of the venetian blind is conjectural. The early Venetians, who were great traders, are thought to have brought the idea of the blind from Persia to Venice. The Venetian slaves, once freed, are then thought to have brought the blind to France for personal comfort and as a means of livelihood. The French name for Venetian blinds is "Les Persienes." In 1761 St. Peter’s Church in Philadelphia was fitted with venetian blinds. 
| The Hula-Hoop is patented |
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| Blog - History | |
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On this day in 1963, the Hula-Hoop, a hip-swivelling toy that became a huge fad across America when it was first marketed by Wham-O in 1958, is patented by the company's co-founder, Arthur "Spud" Melin. An estimated 25 million Hula-Hoops were sold in its first four months of production alone.
In 1948, friends Arthur Melin and Richard Knerr founded a company in California to sell a slingshot they created to shoot meat up to falcons they used for hunting. The company’s name, Wham-O, came from the sound the slingshots supposedly made. Wham-O eventually branched out from slingshots, selling boomerangs and other sporting goods. Its first hit toy, a flying plastic disc known as the Frisbee, debuted in 1957. The Frisbee was originally marketed under a different name, the Pluto Platter, in an effort to capitalise on America's fascination with UFOs. Melina and Knerr were inspired to develop the Hula-Hoop after they saw a wooden hoop that Australian children twirled around their waists during gym class. Wham-O began producing a plastic version of the hoop, dubbed "Hula" after the hip-gyrating Hawaiian dance of the same name, and demonstrating it on Southern California playgrounds. Hula-Hoop mania took off from there.
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