The Whirligig was invented by James L. Haven and Charles Hettrick, of Cincinnati, Ohio. This patent application was granted on November 20, 1866, as U.S. Patent No. 59,745.

The invention has gone by many names, the banderole, the Whirligig, and most commonly now known as the Yo-Yo. The Whirligig has two similar plates or disks, having on their outer sides a marginal rim or swells and having a central aperture, surrounded on the inner side of each disk by an indented annular boss, the indentation of one boss being adapted to receive the projections of the other boss, so as to interlock firmly together on the principle of a clutch on the insertion and clenching of a rivet. The toy that is now known as the Yo-Yo originally was known as the whirligig in the United States. The toy has probably existed for more than one thousand years. Scholars debate exactly when and where this toy originated, although a majority of historians now believe that the first known Yo-Yo probably came from China. Also, scholars debate when the Yo-Yo arrived in the United States.

Unfortunately, Charles Hettrich's last name is also sometimes spelled Hittrick or Hettick, although the United States Patent Office recorded his name as Hettrich. Nonetheless, The US Patent Office granted the patent on November 20, 1866. Haven and Hettrich called their version of the Yo-Yo the Whirligig.

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