Fred Morrison, 90, invented what became the Frisbee. In the 1940's he and his wife would toss a pie tin at the beach, that led to his plastic flying disk, the "Pluto Platter." He sold the production and manufacturing rights in 1957. The disk was later renamed the Frisbee, with sales surpassing 200 million disks. Now a staple at beaches and college campuses across the country, it spawned such activities as Frisbee golf and the team sport Ultimate.
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-fred-morrison13-2010feb13,0,7076853.story
