"Yo!"

This isn't an uncommon greeting now-a-days. When I first heard it, I thought someone had found a yo-yo!

"Yo," is just slang, it will fade out and slang will move on. But a yo-yo, well, that's a different story . . .

Yo-yos were first recorded in Greece. They were usually made from wood, metal, or terra cotta. When a child turned a certain age (about 13), they gave their yo-yo to the Gods as an offering.

The next place yo-yos were found is in Egypt, written on the pyramid walls.

The yo-yo then appeared in Scotland, England, and France. A French picture has a 4 year-old boy, playing with a l'emigrette (french for yo-yo). Also, in a portrait of the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon and his soldiers are seen playing with yo-yos.

The modern form of the yo-yo was created in the Philippines and moved to the US by Pedro Flores; and in 1928, the first yo-yo company was started in California. Donald Duncan sold yo-yos in California, and in 1932, made a company, now known as Duncan Yo-yos. The company moved to Luck, Winsconsin where they were produced at 3,600 per hour!

Now, there are many types of yo-yos besides Duncan. PowerBrain, F.A.S.T, and Playmaxx are just a few of the newer types of yo-yo, made to perform brilliantly!

Pretzeboy, signing out!
"Yo!"