Richard Knerr died last week. 

Don't know who he is? 

He's the inventor and co-founder of the company that created the Hula Hoop.  Surely you have used a Hula Hoop at some point in your life?  If not, you've undoubtedly thrown around a Frisbee or bounced a SuperBall or slithered down a Slip 'N Slide.  Yes, it was his company that created them all. 

I should note that the last time I saw someone using a Hula Hoop was at a "Hooters" Restaurant.  The girls were entertaining the patrons by Hula Hooping.  I kid you not.  But that's another story.  And we are not going to discuss my own awkward mishaps with the Slip 'N Slide. 

He was a fun guy, that Richard Knerr.  And he and his business partner, Arthur "Spud" Melin, made life fun for generations of kids.

Their company, Wham-O, was also responsible for bringing Silly String into the world.  There was a time when Silly String was loathed by parents, loved by children, and used as a gag by comedians and pranksters.  Silly String is a colorful plastic string that is shot out of an aerosol can.  It doesn't sound like much, but I remember when it was flung all over our neighbor's lawn sometime around Halloween one year.  

More importantly, Silly String is used today by the military and no, they don't use it to spray at each other for fun and cheap thrills.  They use it to spray into doorways to detect booby-traps and tripwires.  Silly String is not just for fun anymore.  It's actually saving lives.  And though that may not have been Knerr's original intent, it might just be his greatest legacy.

It's not all fun and games after all.