Wilbur & Orville Wright

Wright From the Start


Charles F. Kettering



Charles F. Kettering

Inventor Charles F. Kettering from Loudonville and Dayton made significant contributions to the auto industry from his company, Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company ("Delco"). Among his inventions was the self-starter for automobiles, eliminating the need for hand-cranking. Kettering also served on the board of the Dayton-Wright Company. During World War I, Kettering designed and built the world's first "guided missile," the Kettering Aerial Torpedo, nicknamed the "Bug." This flying bomb was first tested on 2 October 1918 with mixed results, and was not used in World War I.


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Drawing of the Wright brothers copyrighted 1989 August Brunsman

Last Update: 12 Jun 02