History of antique clocks

There are number of people or association who are enthusiastic about collecting of antique clocks. The history of antique clocks would be informative and useful for them.
These are the events that started the history of antique clocks.
The majority of clocks that were made from the 15th to the middle of the17th century are now mostly in museums and a small percentage in different individuals' private collection. Most people love the look of an old antique clock but don't necessarily know an awful lot about them.

Those antique clocks that were made during the 1800's through the early 1900's are more in number since the periods mentioned were the time when clocks and watches were produced in mass quantities. Antique clocks from the mid 1600s still exist. Some of these are worth well over $70,000. Some extremely rare models are worth over $100,000


History of antique clocks:

The history of antique clocks that are mechanical can be traced back to the medieval period. People at that time heard the sound of the mechanical tower clocks that told them it was time for them to say their prayers. Because of this, the movements of the people in the city became more organized and synchronized. And they soon realized that clocks are an integral part of a civilization.

European monks invented the first mechanical clocks back in the late 13th century. These clocks did not have pendulums, or even hands. They only make a sound every hour. It was only after a century did the clock with hands and dials were invented. The scientist Galileo also contributed to the history of antique clocks. He discovered the pendulum. He created a clock design with a swinging pendulum but he died before making the clock. It was only in 1645 when the pendulum was added to the clock. And this was done by Christian Huygens. Today, these clocks are considered as antiques and many antique clock collectors would pay for a high price just to get one of these ancient clocks.

Related: 'antiqueroyale.com'

History of yo-yo

For new generation yo-yo may seem a newly discovered toy but history of this fun toy says that it is one of the oldest toys of the world. Yo-yo have been a favorite toy of children since the days of ancient Greece. During the 1800s, it was used as a weapon in the Philippines for more than 400 years.
There are ancient Greek yo-yos made of terra cotta in museums in Athens and yo-yos are pictured on the walls of Egyptian temples. The Yo-Yo is known to have been popular with such important warriors as Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington. First patented in 1866 by James L. Haven and Charles Hettrich, the Yo-Yo has enjoyed periods of popularity for generations with kids from 1 - 100.

Original Duncan Yo-Yo "
O-Boy Yo-Yo Toy" circa 1930 

 The modern story of the yo-yo starts with a young gentleman from the Philippines, named Pedro Flores. In the 1920s, he moved to the USA, and worked as a bellhop at a Santa Monica hotel. Carving and playing with wooden yo-yos was a traditional pastime in the Philippines, but Pedro found that his lunch break yo-yo playing drew a crowd was the first appearance of the name "yo-yo," which means "come-come" in the at the hotel.
He started a company to make the toys, calling it the Flores Yo-Yo Company.

The first modern yo-yos were introduced in the United States by Donald F. Duncan in the late 1920s.  In 1929, Donald F. Duncan bought the company from Flores, acquiring not only a unique toy, but also the magic name "yo-yo." About this time, Duncan introduced the looped slip-string, which allows the yo-yo to sleep - a necessity for advanced tricks. He is credited with popularizing (though probably not inventing) the slip-string yo-yo, which enables a yo-yo to "sleep."

The yo-yo first became popular in the 1930s, when Duncan sent out teams of traveling yo-yo men (not women, mind you) who would spend three, four, and five weeks in cities and towns across America, teaching tricks, selling yo-yos, and running contests.                          

The 1970s and 1980s saw a number of innovations in yo-yo technology, primarily dealing with the connection between the string and the axle.

In 1978, dentist and yo-yo celebrity Tom Kuhn patented the “No Jive 3-in-1” yo-yo, creating the world's first "take-apart" yo-yo, which enabled yo-yo players to change the axle.
Swedish bearing company SKF briefly manufactured novelty yo-yos with ball bearings in 1984.
Tom Kuhn introduced the SB-2 yo-yo that had an aluminum transaxle, making it the first successful ball-bearing yo-yo. In all transaxle yo-yos, ball bearings significantly reduce friction when the yo-yo is spinning, enabling longer and more complex tricks. Subsequent yo-yoers used this ability to their advantage, creating new tricks that had not been possible with fixed-axle designs.


Useful links:
* Fascinating facts about the invention of the Yo-Yo

* Lucky's History of the Yo-Yo