John Merrill

August 17: Charles F. Kettering is No Crank!

Anyone that has a driver’s license has probably used a key to start their car. For those that don’t know what happens when they turn that key, in its most basic concept, allows a jolt of electricity to run from the battery to a motor that actually turns or cranks the engine. Sparks are then ignited in the piston chambers that cause a mixture of air and vaporized gasoline to explode. Once all of the cylinders start revolving, the starter motor quickly disengages from the engine and it continues on its own.

Sure, everyone knows that you say. But if you ever see any of those old movies where the guy has to stand in front of the car and turn a crank to get the engine started can appreciate what it was link before the self-starter was invented.

On this day 39 year old Charles F. Kettering, a man born in Loudonville, Ohio in 1876, got his patent for his electric starter. Kettering’s electric starter had been first installed on the 1912 Cadillac. By the early 1920s Kettering’s self-starting motor would be installed on just about every car made. That refinement in automobile ownership made the automobile more attractive, especially women. It was the beginning of the automobile culture that continues to this day.

Kettering and his company, DELCO (Dayton ELectronics COrporation), went on to create a number of improvements to the automobile including shock absorbers, the automatic transmission, quick-drying automotive paint, and safety glass.

Although he was most famous for his contributions to the auto industry, Charles Kettering also known for developing several medical innovations such as an incubator for premature infants, venereal disease treatments and a number of magnetic diagnostic devices. During his time at DELCO and later at General Motors (GM), Mr. Kettering accumulated a great fortune. In 1945 he and Alfred Sloan, another GM vice president, established the Sloan-Kettering Institute for cancer research.

In 1958 at the age of 82, Charles Kettering died of a stroke at his home in Kettering, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton, named for the inventor.

August 15: A legend is born and another one dies

By John Merrill

It wasn’t far from Bethel, NY where an event occurred that became the defining moment of a new generation. The year was 1969 when almost a half million people descended on that rural community and Max Yasgur’s 600 acre dairy farm.

The festival was scheduled for just 3 days, but it would last in the hearts and minds of a generation for the rest of their lives. The festival was originally planned to be held in another small town southwest of Bethel, but when towns folk learned about the event, they promptly said “NO WAY!” Event organizers and their lawyers were forced to find another venue.

The townspeople of Bethel tried to get the festival banned, but eventually permits were issued for the festival which was expected to draw no more than 50,000.

Today, for anyone over 65, if asked about the Bethel Festival in ’69, they probably won’t have a clue. But if you ask them if they remember Woodstock, all will remember that event and probably 10,000 million of those people will swear they were there or were stuck in traffic trying to get there.

On this day in 1969 a new generation came of age at the Woodstock Music Festival, or as most would remember it as just Woodstock, just not Woodstock, NY, but not far from Bethel.

In Ohio history, a man that played a pivotal role in the settlement of the state and the treatment of Native Americans was killed when he was trying to free a group of Miami Native Americans being held hostage.

Williaim Wells is the central figure in this painting detail of the Treaty of Greenville by Howard Chandler Christy. Little Turtle, Wells' father-in-law, is the Native American standing on the left. — Williaim Wells is the central figure in this painting detail of the Treaty of Greenville by Howard Chandler Christy. Little Turtle, Wells’ father-in-law, is the Native American standing on the left.

Long before this day, William Wells was captured by a group of Miami and grew up with them and to survive, he became part of their culture and eventually a prominent Miami member. He fought with the Miami against a St. Clair in western Ohio and helped turn that federal expedition into one of the most devastating defeats in American military history. Several years later he would assist General Mad Anthony Wayne against a united group of Native Americans in northwest Ohio that became known as the Battle of Fallen Timbers.

So one-sided was this defeat that the following year the majority of Native Americans in Ohio, requested a peace treaty between the Nations and the United States. That treaty became known as the Treaty of Greeneville. William Wells was the prime interpreter between the Nations and the American army. A year later, Wells and Chief Little Turtle went to Philadelphia to meet with President Washington. It wouldn’t be the last time these two men would meet with the President of the United States.

On this day in in 1812, at the onset of the War of 1812, William Wells was leading a military force to Fort Dearborn to secure the release of hostages being held, but before they arrived, a group of Potawatomi Indians ambushed the group and Wells was killed.

August 14: A Star is Born

By John Merrill

On this day Judith Ann Berry gave birth to a beautiful daughter she named Ann. Ann’s father was a hospital attendant and her mother a psychiatric nurse in Cleveland. Little did they know that their beautiful little girl would go on to become one of the world’s most stunning actresses.

While attending Bedford High School, Ann becomes an editor on the school newspaper. With this experience she decides that maybe a career in journalism would be good. But then, she becomes captain of the cheer leading squad, and then in her senior year she is elected class president and homecoming queen.

When Ann turned 17 she represented Ohio in the Miss Teen All-American Pageant. The next year she again represented Ohio in the Miss USA Pageant and later that year she would be a finalist in the Miss World competition. She attended Cleveland’s Cuyahoga Community College. In 2001 she would become the first African American to win an Academy Award. On this day in 1966, her parents gave her a name we all know today: Halle Ann Berry. Happy B-Day Halle!

This Day in Ohio’s History

By John Merrill

Ohio is a state with a rich history that dates back long before there was an Ohio, long before there was the United States of America, long before European explorers laid claim to the lands, and long before the Native Americans that met those European explorers, there were people here for 1000s of years. For those people living here long before the Native Americans, we have no written history only the radio carbon dates that have been established proving that they did live and die here.

This Day in Ohio History is a series of essays about a particular day and events. Think of them as little slices in time. On some dates dialog has been added, not to say that these are the exact words of the subject, but are a reasonable expectation that the words written could have been said at that time. In other words, I have tried to interpret certain events and in that description, if a dialog helps explain that particular day, I have included it.

All events are derived from historical accounts of those events, often from multiple sources. Besides sourcing contemporary historical accounts, I have also conducted research based on much older historical accounts and descriptions which often include first-hand accounts. Newspapers of the days surrounding certain events have also been sourced that give precise information about certain details known on that particular day or the days surround that day.

This Day in Ohio History has not been publicly sourced for specific reasons. In today’s world, people can copy information from almost anywhere. My sources are documented in my notes. But those sources are the sources that I have found. Students of history looking for an easy essay will have to do a little more research on their own.

I hope you enjoy reading these essays and find out a little more detail about our history.

John Merrill
Editor

Share This:

Share This:

Share This:

Share This: