September 1963: Lava lamp

Created by Edward Craven Walker, the Astro Lamp was first sold in England in 1963, marketed through his Crestworth Ltd. (incorporated on September 3). It arrived in America in 1965, under the name Lava Lite. (In 1992, Crestworth was renamed Mathmos, after the lake of bubbling goo in the 1968 film "Barbarella.")

"It's like the cycle of life," Walker said in 1997. "It grows, breaks up, falls down and then starts all over again. And besides, the shapes are sexy.''

Brochure image from www.flowoflava.com, a comprehensive website about the lava lamp, including its history and the various models through the years.

* Entry from "Inventing the 20th Century: 100 Inventions That Shaped the World, From the Airplane to the Zipper" (Stephen Van Dulken, 2002): @

* "The History of the Lava Lamp" (Smithsonian magazine, March 2013): @

* "The Mystique of the Lava Lamp" (h2g2.com): @
* "Happy Birthday to the Lava Lamp" (Forces of Geek, July 2013): @
* "Vintage Lava Lamps" (from Collectors Weekly): @
* "How Liquid Motion Lamps Work" (from HowStuffWorks): @
* "How It Works: Secrets of the Lava Lite" (Popular Science, September 1997): @
* Mathmos website: @

* Lava Lite website: @
* www.keepbubbling.com: @

* www.hippielight.com: @ 

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