On this day in history, January 23, 1957, Wham-O produces first Frisbees, reshaping leisure, sport

Sport now recognized by the Olympics

Frat-house frolics became a national obsession when Wham-O Manufacturing Co. of California began producing the Pluto Platter — soon renamed the Frisbee — on this day in history, Jan. 23, 1957. 

"The Frisbee started off as nothing more than a container that carried pies," reported University of Southern California online engineering publication Illumin Magazine, which analyzed the physics and history of the toy.

"However, through the ingenuity of some college students, the inventiveness of Fred Morrison, and the marketing savvy of the Wham-O Manufacturing Company, it eventually became an immensely popular and internationally recognized toy."

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, JAN. 22, 1973, SUPREME COURT ISSUES ITS LANDMARK ROE V. WADE DECISION

Two USC alums, Arthur "Spud" Mellin and Richard Knerr, created Wham-O. They are also known for popularizing the Hula-Hoop. 

The origin of the Frisbee dates back decades before Wham-O arrived on the scene. 

The toy's odd history is a testament to the ability of Americans to harvest success from seemingly mundane opportunity. 

Rachel McCord is seen playing Frisbee on July 30, 2016, in Los Angeles, California. The original Frisbee, called the Flying Saucer, was introduced in 1948 by Southern California entrepreneur Fred Morrison.  (TSM/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

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

"Late 19th-century students at Yale and other New England universities played catch with pie plates … made by the nearby Frisbie Baking Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut. They yelled ‘Frisbie!’ to warn passersby away from the spinning