Monday, November 2, 2026

Trivia: U.S. soldiers in Vietnam found an unexpected use for the Slinky, Pennsylvania’s official state toy. What was it?

Answer: A radio antenna. Troops stretched the coils out to serve as mobile radio antennas in the field. NASA has also used Slinkys in zero-gravity physics experiments aboard the Space Shuttle. The toy, invented by a Philadelphia naval engineer, is still made in Hollidaysburg.