The practice of gyrating with hoops made of grapevines originated in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome.
The name hula, however, was not used until the 1700s, when British and American missionaries returned home with tales of island hoop-dancers.
The modern plastic Hula-Hoop was developed in the 1950s by Richard P. Knerr and Arthur K. (“Spud”) Melvin, owners of the Wham-0 Manufacturing Company in California.
It retailed for $1.98 when the Hula-Hoop craze hit in 1958.