A Brief History
Earlier today, we showcased an article on the first Automatic Street Light, but did you know that this invention was just one of many invented by brilliant Ohioans? So, let us list 10 famous inventions by Ohioans.
Digging Deeper
10. Safety Hood type Gas Mask (1912)
Garett Morgan was born in Kentucky of former slaves, but lived in Ohio after age 14. His device saved many lives of firefighters and miners, and was the basis for the gas masks of World War I. He also invented hair care products and a successful traffic control signal. Because of racial prejudice he dressed up as an American Indian, pretending to be Native American. Morgan is one of the most famous African American inventors.
9. Freon refrigerant (1928)
Charles Kettering’s freon replaced dangerous gases with a relatively safe and effective one for air conditioners and refrigerators. Kettering also invented leaded gasoline and the system that made diesel locomotives possible. In fact, Kettering holds more patents than any other American except Thomas Edison, another Ohioan!
8. Practical Arc Lights (1877)
Charles Brush was born and lived in Euclid, Ohio. He perfected the arc light to where it could actually be practical as well as Dynamo generators to supply the electricity for them. Downtown Cleveland was the first city to be lit by electric streetlamps, the Brush Arc Light.
7. Timken Roller Bearing/Tapered Roller Bearing (1898)
Henry Timken, although born in Germany, moved his company to Canton, Ohio in 1901. His invention makes all modern rolling vehicles possible. Canton was chosen for the company to be close to Cleveland, Detroit and Pittsburgh, the heart of steel and automobile production at the time.
6. Floating Soap (1879)
Proctor and Gamble of St. Bernard, Ohio merit credit for this invention. Contrary to popular mythology, Ivory was not invented by accident, but was intentionally made to be a floating soap. Despite being pure and killing germs better than anti-bacterial soaps, Ivory cleans a little too well, stripping the skin of oils and drying the skin out. New Ivory formulations developed in the 1990’s contain glycerin and other ingredients to make it kinder to skin, but does not float well!
5. Commercially Produced Baking Yeast (1868)
Charles Fleischmann,also born in Germany, started his yeast business in Cincinnati. Fleischmann is responsible for inventing many yeast producing machines and modern commercial baking would be impossible without his contributions. Fleischmann’s is not only the largest producer of yeast, but is the second largest producer of vinegar and the first producer Gin in the US!
4. Cash Register (1879)
James Ritty hails from Dayton, Ohio. His invention was called “Ritty’s Incorruptible Cashier” and became the foundation for the National Cash Register Company (NCR), which today manufactures a wide range of electronic products as well as cash registers. Ritty sold his stake in the business before it became fabulously successful, and Charles Kettering invented the first electric powered cash register for the company in 1906! NCR was the first company to have “THINK” signs posted around work spaces. Obviously, the signs worked!
3. Automobile Electric Starter (1911)
Charles Kettering, born in Ashland County, lived his adult life in Dayton. Kettering was head of research at General Motors for 27 years and was the founder of Delco. He also invented colored car paint and had 186 patents. He invented the 1st powered aerial missile, the Kettering Bug. His invention of the electric self starter was first introduced by Cadillac in 1912, the first car that did not have to be hand cranked to start the motor. Oddly enough, those first electric starters doubled their duty as the generator for the car once it was started.
2. The Airplane (1903)
The Wright Brothers (Orville was born in Dayton, Ohio, while Wilbur was born in Indiana) both lived and worked in Dayton. Orville was piloting the airplane when Thomas Selfridge became the first airplane crash fatality in 1908. As many other inventors were working on producing a viable airplane at the same time as the Wright Brothers, you may sometimes hear of claims made by other inventors to have been the “first” in flight, but most historians are confident that the Wrights were the first to make a manned, powered, controlled flight, not launched by a catapult or by launching the device off a cliff. Other pretenders to the aviation throne were not properly documented or did not meet all the criteria for a manned, controllable heavier than air, powered airplane.
1. The 1st Practical Light Bulb (1879)
Thomas Edison, born in Milan, Ohio,with 1093 patents is the King of Inventors, and the light bulb is his masterpiece! Edison was also deaf all his adult life. With nifty devices such as the phonograph and records and the moving picture projector, Edison has touched all of our lives. Other inventors were also working on creating a practical light bulb at the same time Edison and his crew were working on the project, and though you may read or hear of claims by other people (such as Hiram Maxim, inventor of the machine gun), it is Edison’s version that became the practical device that revolutionized lighting. Now, in the 21st Century, a gigantic tide of change is replacing many of the incandescent electric light bulbs with fluorescent and LED varieties.
Question for students (and subscribers): So what new development awaits us in the future that writers will include in lists of great inventions? Please let us know in the comments section below this article. If History and Headlines is any indication, we know it will be something and it will not be that far away!
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Dalton, Curt. How Ohio Helped Invent the World: From the Airplane to the Yo-Yo. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013.
The featured image in this article, a photograph by Jerry Dougherty of Bank and Main Streets in New Milford, Connecticut, is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license.
You can also watch a video version of this article on YouTube:
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="1453 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=1453">115 Comments
Charles brush was born, raised, and lived in Euclid, Ohio! I am a Euclidian as well! I had no idea that Cleveland was the first city to be lit by electric streetlamps. Very interesting fact.
I find it very interesting that my home state has such inspirational inventors. I found that James Ritty has progressed extremely through his invention of the cash register. If that invention was never created our time in clothing stores, grocery stores, gas stations etc. would wasted waiting for the cashier to manually count our money back to us.
I was not aware that some of these inventors were from Ohio. All of these inventions have been crucial in building our society and world today.
I was surprised to find out so many inventions we use every day were made by people in Ohio. There is such a wide range of inventions from floating soap to gas masks.
Charles Kettering is on this list so many times and I have never heard of him. One person can make such an impact through their talents and gifts, such as having a very inventive mind.
I wonder if the building on campus here at Ashland named Kettering has anything to do with the man, Charles Kettering.
Floating soap?? That’s honestly one of the funniest thing I’ve read in a history blog!
this was very interesting to learn about Ohio.
This was interesting to learn. Especially since I am not from Ohio.
I found it interesting that Ohio has two of the biggest inventions, the airplane and the light bulb.
Being from Ohio, it is awesome that they have so many cool inventions. The Wright brothers created the airplane. I am personally thrilled that the gas mask was invented!
It was very interesting to learn that all these inventions were created in Ohio.
Why is the airplane the only invention that Ohioans take pride in? It is the only invention that they claim on a consistent basis, even though they had Edison’s lightbulb to potentially claim. It’s great that the airplane was invented, but the other inventions have importance too.
I did not know so many things were invented in Ohio. The main ones that most people know are the Edison’s light bulb and the airplane
I am so surprised that these inventions originated from Ohio, I had no idea about some of them.
I am not from Ohio but I thought it was very interesting to learn that so many inventors were from Ohio.
I knew that the airplane was created here, but did not realize that the light bulb was! Good article about my home-state.
I can’t believe how many inventions came out of Ohio.
I never realized that soap didn’t always float
The Wright brothers are one of the most famous inventors with an invention that is still relevant today.
I didnt know edison was deaf his entire adult life.
I’m surprised at how many famous inventors are from Ohio.
awesome to see many inventors came straight out of Ohio! great article!
I find it interesting to see how these inventions are an array of different genres. It proves the fact that Ohio is a state of diverse and innovative thinkers.
It’s great to see that there have been many inventions that were created by Ohioans. Shows that Ohio has brought us many people who have made great advancements in the world today.
The electric car start and airplanes were invented in Ohio its cool to know we have had such great inventors that have really impacted the worlds way of life
I always knew that Ohio was known for their inventors, but I was really shocked to hear that Ohioans were responsible for the cash register, first real working light bulb, and the electric starter! All which we use on the daily!
It’s awesome that ohio is home to many inventions like the cash register, the light bulb and the electric starter!
It is so cool that Ohio is known for not only producing so many inventions but presidents as well.
Are the Charles Kettering’s’ listed twice the same person?
At least Ohio is known for being bright with the light bulb invention.
I never knew that some of these were made in Ohio. I only really knew about the lightbulb and airplane
It’s great to know Ohio has great inventors!
Ohio be eating glad we have great inventors.
There is a consistent similarity with these articles. A lot of inventors and inventions from Ohio!
Ohio had a lot of great inventors! This shocked me because I did not know about most of these
When refrigerators were powered with gas, there was a huge demand for a change because this was so dangerous. There were 2 major people that helped come up with this, but I didn’t know that one of them was from Ohio!
Its great to see all these successful inventors from the great state of Ohio. Makes me feel inspired!
It is very interesting learning that these were made in Ohio.
I like to see when inventions were made/discovered. Also, seeing that people from Ohio discovered these inventions is very cool too.
awesome to see all the amazing inventions created right here in ohio. I also never knew that edison was deaf in his adult life
I never knew Ohio gave us so many great inventors. Wow, this really shocks me that all these great individuals are from my home state
I never new that the Kettering building was named after Charles Kettering. Its very interesting.
It is very interesting to read about all these inventions and inventors who were from Ohio.
As a cashier I’m proud to know my cash register was invented in Ohio lol
I did not know freon came from Ohio.
who decided soap needs to float? who is having that big of an issue
We have an Ohio made cash register at the Cheesebarn
Funny how “floating soap” is seen as an important or memorable invention. Its a good idea if you think about loosing the soap bar when taking a bath though.
Some of the inventions are more known than others, but they all are contributions from Ohio. I am perplexed by floating soap. Why was the concern of it buoyancy more important than its purpose?
Its amazing to read about some of the inventions and inventors from Ohio. Floating soap would have been important because back when it was invented people took bathes not showers. It was easier to find the soap if it floated.
Ohio has produced some really great inventions! I did not know that Ohio produced the cash register!
Such a diverse list of inventions. This story was really interesting.
I did not realize that these inventions came from Ohio. It is always great to see the history and people who came from Ohio.
So many inventions that are still important in todays world come from Ohio. I was not aware that the gas mask was invented here or the cash register. Very interesting to hear the history of our state.
It’s fascinating how much technology has changed over the years. I did not know a lot of them originated in Ohio.
Ohio has some really brilliant people. I loved reading about these inventors. Ohio has also produced a hand full of presidents, eight of them if I remember right. Go Ohio!!!
I have been to the Wright Brothers flight sight in Kittyhawk, NC and I was always excited when they would mention that they were from Ohio. Makes me proud of my state!
To be honest I had no idea about majority of these inventions being made in Ohio. I liked reading about floating soap. It may seem so trivial to us but it actually make a lot of sense.
I always knew that the lightbulb was invented but did not realize that the cash register was invented in Ohio. This makes me proud of my state because the cash register is used by many of my friends who are self employed by small business.
I loved reading about all of the inventions that originated in Ohio. One that caught my eye was the Freon refrigerant because it was invented by Charles Kettering. I may be wrong but I am pretty positive our science building at Ashland in named after Charles and is called Kettering for short. That would be an interesting thing to look into.
Ohio is such a historical state. From events that occurred, to famous inventors, we have so much history. I have been to the MAPS air museum multiple times which honors famous plane and flight inventors. I would love to see the Wright Brothers museum.
Floating soap doesnt seem like a big deal now but when you are washing yourself in a lake or river it changes alot.
Most Ohioans know that the airplane was invented in Ohio, but I think Ohioans would be most surprised to learn that one of the most important inventions, the first practical light bulb, originated in Ohio.
I always enjoy learning about history in Ohio. Everyone here in the U.S. know that the airplane was invented in Ohio. In the Rio Olympics, during the opening ceremony, it explained that Brazilians believe that the airplane was invented in Brazil, by a Brazilian. I found that to be interesting.
As a student who live in Ohio now, I am proud of it. I had never thought that a big amount of great inventions were invented in Ohio, such as the 1st practical light bulb and the airplane. When I was in primary school in China, I learned the story of these inventions from my textbook. It is so amazing that I live in the same state with these great inventions.
I remember learning about the invention of the cash register at an early age, especially since I grew up in Dayton.
It was cooling learning about all the inventions made in ohio. I knew about the airplane though.
I never knew that these inventions were made in Ohio.
It’s always interesting to me to learn about the history of Ohio because I was not born here and I like to learn about it.
Ohio has such a rich history when it comes to inventors/ inventions!
Being from Ohio, it is truly awesome to see all of the history that was invented in this great state!
It is so cool to see how many inventions came from Ohio being from Ohio myself.
Ohio seems to have tons of famous people and famous inventions that come from it. Most of the time people don’t even know about them.
Go Cleveland! First city with street lights. I think Cleveland is often under appreciated.
I live 10 minutes from Orrville, so I’ve heard many people in my hometown speak about the Wright Brothers. It gives a sense of hometown pride.
If it wasn’t for Ohio wouldn’t have gas to put our cars
It is interesting story.
I didn’t know that that the Timken company has been around that long. I always knew there was a factory in Ohio, but never knew that it was invented in Germany and brought Ohio.
Ohio has some great inventors, famous people, 8 presidents. Ohio is not only the birthplace of aviation, but also boasts 23 astronauts! Ohio is the place to be!
This was a great read, honored to read about things that started right where we live!
The airplane was a big invention and still going strong today. I have not yet flown on a plane but I will this summer and I hope it will be an enjoyable experience. Im just glad to see how many inventions came from Ohio.
It’s good to read about some very important inventions that came to be in my home state. Of course, the airplane beinf one of the most important in the world
Great inventors from a great state. There has been many great things to come out of the state of Ohio these are just a few of the great people.
amazing how many things com from Ohio that i didn’t even know about
Ohio is a great state! Not only do we have great inventors but there are a whole lot of great Americans that come from this state.
Being from Ohio, this makes me proud. The airplane being the most interesting invention to come out of Ohio (In my opinion).
I didn’t realize how many great inventors came from Ohio till just know. Truly and honor to be living in a place with so much great history.
Really incredible how many things were invented in Ohio! Ohio is a truly amazing place to call home.
I wonder how Orville was able to escape death in the plane crash when Selfridge was the first airplane crash casualty!
It’s pretty cool to see what all has come from my home state of Ohio. I did not realize that Proctor and gamble started in Ohio. My wife is head over heels for the P&G coupons!
What was it about Ohio that so many great inventions were produced? Ohio is rich with history and always an important win in elections.
Sounds like Charles Kettering was a genius in his time. I would like to see a list of all his patents.
Stated earlier in a different article, I talked about how awesome it is to see Ohio as such an important state when it came to inventors. This article just proves my point. The above list is an important list of inventions that were made that either made our lives easier or really helped the country at that time progress into something greater.
I am not a native of Ohio but I have lived here for 20 some years and this article gave me lot information about some great inventors of our life time that made a huge different in our life and they were all from Ohio.
I’ve lived in Ohio my whole life and I didn’t know we had so many great inventions.
Learning about all the inventors that where from Ohio was just amazing. Seeing all the inventions from of all the people who invented them back then and how we still use them in our everyday life today was truly eye opening.
I never realized so much of our history has come out of Ohio. The fun fact of this article for me is about Charles Kettering and that he was born in Ashland County.
I enjoy seeing all the neat history from Ohio and the cool inventions. I find it odd that someone would think floating soap was that important.
Ohio is good for something after all. Really cool that Cleveland was the first lit city!.
There is a historical marker in front of the Loudonville Public Library for Charles Kettering. Good stuff on this article!
Ohio sure does have a rich history of inventors! Many of the inventions helped shape our world today. I never realized that Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio. Earning 1093 patents sure does earn him the fitting name of ‘King of Inventors’
Very informative! I was wondering where the Wright Brothers were going to fall on the list.
Being from Dayton, Ohio I always love to read about the Wright Brothers. I have seen their old cycling shop many times.
Just 10 more reasons Ohio is awesome! I loved the Ivory soap fact and I have read about a few of these other inventions before.
Way to go Ohio!! I never knew just how many inventions have started in Ohio. What a great article to learn so much about the state in which i have lived my entire life.
Yes, where would be be without Yeast! Homemade bread is the best! I didn’t know they manufactured Gin as well.
Everyone knows about the airplane being invented in Ohio, but its cool to see the other accomplishments developed in Ohio; 1st practical light bulb, automobile electric starter, and yeast!
It’s sad that someone with a great invention has to lie regarding his race because of racism. I didn’t know that the cash register was from Ohio!
I loved reading about the amazing inventions that were made here. They have had such an impact on US history and it makes me proud to be from Ohio!
I knew the cash register and airplane came from Ohio but I was not aware of the others. Very interesting.
Edison was famous by knowing he was inventing light ball for people around the world. I like the floating soap. It is an interesting story by knowing that soap was pretty useful and helpful for people.
Safety Hood type Gas mask was effective and useful in historical war. I like how Edison was made light ball for people having a bright world.
Pretty cool!
I liked learning about inventors that came from Ohio, it brings me pride in our state! I had already knew of the Wright brothers and the first airplane, but I also loved learning about the floating soap and the arc lights! It is interesting that Downtown Cleveland was the first place to use these arc lights!