Boomerang (c19,000BC) – 1000 Inventions and Discoveries
Used by hunters in Africa, India, and Australia, the boomerang was originally just a heavy stick thrown at an animal to injure it and make it easier to catch. Over the centuries, the stick was reshaped so that it would fly farther and faster, and even return to its thrower.
The first known boomerang was found in a cave in southern Poland, and it is probably about 21,000 years old. The Australian boomerang was in use by 8000 BC.