The Name Is the Same

When something is named after a person - a state, a dessert, or a toy, perhaps - we say that the person is the eponym of the newly named object. (The Greek root words mean 'named upon.') William Penn is the eponym of Pennsylvania, for example. Melba toast honors Australian soprano Nellie Melba, and the Baby Ruth candy bar is named for Ruth Coolidge, President Calvin Coolidge's daughter.

Can you name the eponymous items described below?

1. It was a pie company in Bridgeport, Conn., whose name and thin metal pie tins gave birth to this invention. The sailing pan was a popular diversion for students at Yale University in the 1940s where, according to game historians, the first pan was launched. The tins inspired a toy by W.F. Morrison, a UFO enthusiast. What's the name of his saucer-shaped, pie-tin-in-the-sky?

2. Its inventor, Illinois bridge and railroad engineer George W. F- - - - -, wanted to create something as spectacular as the Eiffel Tower for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He did: Rotating between two pyramids, his giant steel circle was a star attraction. It carried 36 cars, each holding 40 passengers. What was the name of this amusement-park wonder?

3. This brightly colored fish is native to the West Indies. It's popular in home and school aquariums because it's so hardy and prolific. (Its nickname is 'millions.') It takes its name from clergyman R.J. Lechmere G- - - - of Trinidad, who introduced specimens to the British Museum in the late 1800s. It is also a namesake of a small, agile submarine developed during World War II. What is this fish? (No, it's not a goldfish.)

4. Candido J- - - - - - invented and gave his name to one of the most successful and relaxing inventions of recent times. The inventor was born in Italy and came to America with his six brothers to make propellers for US Army Air Corps in World War II. One thing led to another, and soon he and his brothers were into water pumps ... in a tub. The trademark name applied only to the pump but soon extended to mean any whirlpool bath. What is it?

ANSWERS

(1) The Frisbee is named for the Frisbie Pie Co. in Bridgeport, Conn., and was patented by Walter Frederick Morrison in 1959. (2) The Ferris wheel, by George Washington Gale Ferris (1859-96). (3) The guppy, introduced by R.J. Lechmere Guppy (1836-1916). (4) A Jacuzzi by Candido Jacuzzi (1902-86).

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