His Son John Invented Lincoln Logs
As much a toy as symbol, in some small way, of John Lloyd Wright’s relationship with his father, Lincoln Logs were supposedly inspired by the interlocking timber construction methods used to protect the Imperial Hotel from being torn apart in an earthquake. John worked for his father during that famous Tokyo project, and when he was asked to collect payment for dad after not receiving his own paycheck, he took matters into his own hands and gave himself a cut, which promptly got him fired. In the aftermath of the split, John came up with the Lincoln Logs concept, receiving a patent in 1920.