It is likely that the explanation of the term Lazy Susan has been lost to history.[2][3][3] Folk etymologies claim it as an American invention. According to lore, Thomas Jefferson invented the device, which was known as a "dumbwaiter", for his daughter Susan. Regardless of the origins of the name, by 1917 it was advertised in Vanity Fair[5] as "Ovington's $8.50 mahogany 'Revolving Server or Lazy Susan'",[6] but the term's use predates both the advertisement and, probably, the country.[2][4]