Made in Wisconsin: Shrinky Dinks

Such fun memories I had as a child, making Shrinky Dinks! Little did I know then that, mirabile dictu, they were invented and produced in my home state of Wisconsin! Here's the story.

The year was 1973. In Brookfield, Wisconsin, Betty Morris and Kate Bloomberg invented Shrinky Dinks initially as a project for their sons to do with their Cub Scout troop. But they realized that this fun had much bigger potential. 

Now, it needs to be said, the name they chose for this product is, well, certainly evocative.  But the success of their business is proof enough that they chose well.

If you've never made Shrinky Dinks (or even heard of them), the idea is that you color and cut forms made of polystyrene plastic, then bake them. They "shrink" dramatically, while keeping their shape and the added color. It was fun, cheap entertainment to us back before kids had video games. 

Here's what it looks like:

They are still produced by K & B (Kate and Betty) Innovations, Inc. in North Lake, Wisconsin. 

Yet another classic example of Wisconsin industry and ingenuity!

Keith Massey was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. He has his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Biblical Hebrew, with a minor in Arabic. After 9/11, he served as an Arabic linguist at the NSA. He is currently a Latin teacher at a public high school in New Jersey.

Keith is the author of Intermediate Arabic for Dummies. His fiction novels follow the adventures of Andrew Valquist, roughly patterned after himself--a man born and raised in Wisconsin who gets pulled into the world of international intrigue. 



Keith's novels are A Place of Brightness, Amor Vincit Omnia: An Andrew Valquist Adventure, Next Stop: Spanish, and In Saecula Saeculorum.

Learning Latin with Pope Francis - August 30, 2014

To visit my archive of Latin Papal Tweets, go to my main page.

August 30, 204

Literal translation of the Latin: The Lord always forgives us and accompanies (us). Truly it is ours (i.e., our responsibility) to allow him to forgive us and to accompany (us).

Here's how the Latin works.

Latin	English	Parsing	Grammar Points
Dominus	The Lord	nom. sing. masc. noun	dominus, domini; subj. of absolvit and comitatur
semper	always		adv.
absolvit	forgives	3rd pers. sing. pres. act. ind. verb	absolvo, absolvere, absolvi, absolutum
nos	us	acc. pl. 1st pers. pronoun	nos, nostri; direct obj. of absolvit and comitatur
et	and		conj.
comitatur	accompanies	3rd pers. sing. pres. ind. of deponent verb	comitor, comitari, comitatum
Est	(It) is	3rd pers. sing pres. ind. verb	sum, esse, fui
vero	truly		adv.
nostri	of us (ours)	gen. sing. masc. poss. adj.	noster, nostra, nostrum
sinere	to allow	pres. act. inf.	sino, sinere, sivi, situm
eum	him
absolvere	to forgive	pres. act. inf.	absolvo, absolvere, absolvi, absolutum
nos	us	acc. pl. 1st pers. pronoun	nos, nostri; direct obj. of absolvere and comitari
et	and		conj.
comitari	to accompany	pres. inf. of deponent verb	comitor, comitari, comitatum

 

Made in Wisconsin: Carmex

This is one of those "obvious in retrospect" revelations. Necessity is the mother of invention, and so where else but the frigid north was someone going to invent the leading product for chapped lips?

Alfred G. Woelbing was born in Wisconsin on May 1, 1901 (he would live to be a hundred, dying on May 18, 2001).

He invented his Carmex formula and made the product out of the basement of his home in Waukesha, Wisconsin. After his product began to take off, he moved his operation to a warehouse in nearby Wauwatosa. Today, Carma Labs is located in Franklin, Wisconsin and the company is run by the late Woelbing's grandsons, Paul and Eric Woelbing, who remain committed to keeping the operation in Wisconsin indefinitely.

Bonus! According to his obituary, Alfred Woelbing, in addition to inventing Carmex and living to a hundred, worked on the Manhattan Project! This guys rules! A true Wisconsinite!
 

Keith Massey was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. He has his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Biblical Hebrew, with a minor in Arabic. After 9/11, he served as an Arabic linguist at the NSA. He is currently a Latin teacher at a public high school in New Jersey.

Keith is the author of Intermediate Arabic for Dummies. His fiction novels follow the adventures of Andrew Valquist, roughly patterned after himself--a man born and raised in Wisconsin who gets pulled into the world of international intrigue. 



Keith's novels are A Place of Brightness, Amor Vincit Omnia: An Andrew Valquist Adventure, Next Stop: Spanish, and In Saecula Saeculorum.

Learning Latin with Pope Francis - August 28, 2014

To visit my archive of Latin Papal Tweets, go to my main page.

August 28, 204

Literal translation of the Latin: Christ from the cross teaches us (that) those who indeed do not at all love us must be loved.

Here's how the Latin works.

Latin	English	Parsing	Grammar Points
Christus	Christ	nom. sing. masc. noun	Christus, Christi; subj. of docet
de	from	Prep. + abl.	governs cruce
cruce	the cross	abl. sing. fem. noun	crux, crucis
nos	us	acc. pl. 1st pers. pronoun	nos, nostri; dir. obj. of docet
docet	teaches	3rd pers. sing. pres. act. ind. verb	doceo, docere, docui, doctum
diligendos	must be loved	acc. pl. masc. gerundive	diligo, diligere, dilexi, dilectum
et	even (and)		conj.
illos	those	acc. pl. masc. dem. adj.	ille, illa, illud; double obj. of docet
qui	who	nom. pl. masc. rel. pronoun	qui, quae, quod; subj. of diligunt
quidem	indeed		conj.
nos	us	acc. pl. 1st pers. pronoun	nos, nostri; dir. obj. of diligunt
haud	not at all		adv.
diligunt	(they) love	3rd pers. pl. pres. act. ind. verb	diligo, diligere, dilexi, dilectum