One of the most popular toys of the mid-20th century, a toy that had a direct impact on generations of architects and engineers, was the Erector Set. But did you know that the Erector Set was the creation of a man who was not only an inventor, but also an Olympic gold medalist, magician, and scientist?

His name was A.C. Gilbert, and he had started a toy company called Mysto Manufacturing (which at first specialized in magic kits) to finance his medical school tuition. It was during his years in medical school that he took time off to travel to London to compete in the 1908 Olympics, for which he won a gold medal in pole vaulting. Then, after graduation, he came to the realization that it was actually the toy company, and not medicine, that he wanted to pursue.

His realization certainly paid off, because one morning in 1911, while on a train to New York City, Gilbert had the inspiration for what would become one of the world’s most beloved toys. While watching construction workers from the train window, he decided to create a children’s construction kit. Though other companies, namely a British company called Meccano, had similar kits already, Gilbert would make his kit more intricate, more technical, and more realistic.

Thus, the “Mysto Erector Structural Steel Builder” debuted at the 1913 Toy Fair in New York, and children all over America were soon building mini-metropoli with beams, bolts, pulleys, gears, and even motors. The square girder, however, was what really made Gilbert’s set unique. The possibilities seemed endless, and even children who already had the basic erector set pined away and begged their parents to get them additions and upgrades.

As the years went on, there were more and more fantastic developments with the Erector Set, and some very impressive models were developed that included Ferris wheels, zeppelins, a 1940 Parachute Jump, and a 1950 Amusement Park. Over 30 million Sets sold over the years, and kids could spend hours upon hours imaginatively building and creating new structures (and thus, keeping out of trouble). In fact, some of today’s best known architects and designers were childhood devotees of the Erector Set – among them Frank Lloyd Wright.

And to think, the Erector Set wasn’t even Gilbert’s only toy innovation. Magic kits, model trains, a glass blowing kit, chemistry sets, an Atomic Energy Lab that came complete with radioactive particles and a working Geiger counter…all of them can be traced to Gilbert. After his death in 1962, rival company Meccano gained rights to his most celebrated invention, and in 1965 Mysto was bought by the Gabriel Company.