A Trompo or Whipping Top is a top which is spun by winding a length of string around the body, and launching it so that lands spinning on its point. If the string is attached to a stick the rotation can be maintained by whipping the side of the body. The string may also be wound around the point while the trompo is spinning in order to control its position or even lift the spinning top to another surface
Spinning tops have been around so long that no one knows who spun the first one. It is likely that the first spinning top was a nut or acorn spun by a curious child. It seems likely that natural curiosity began the craft of top spinning in various places around the world.
This might have happened because spinning objects are so fascinating. They are fun to play with and easy to experiment with. After observing the spinning acorn, inventing improvements doesn’t seem so difficult. Children with spare time probably carved tops or had their father or grandfather do it for them.
Of course this is partly speculation. It is interesting to notice however that there are dozens of stories about spinning tops in the early 1800’s through the early 1900’s. One example describes a boy who discovers with delight the ability to use his father’s wood turning lathe to make a perfect spinning top. This discovery allows the boy to both outperform his friends hand carved tops, and to contemplate a small top making business of his own.