If you have consumed any beverage from a can, you can thank Ermal “Ernie” Fraze for inventing the pull-top tab used to open it.
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Category Archives: Local History
Calvary Cemetery
Although predominately a Roman Catholic cemetery, all faiths are welcome at Calvary Cemetery. Currently it is the final resting place for roughly 75,000 people including 6,000 people exhumed and moved from the former St. Henry’s Catholic Cemetery, which was located at Main Street and Third Street.
Dayton Inventions – Part 2
It’s that time again! Dayton is known for the airplane and the cash register, but there are so many more inventions that came from our great city:
- Electric Cash Register – John H. Patterson, 1906.
- Custer Invalid Chair – Levitt Luzern Custer, battery-powered in 1919, gasoline-powered in 1939.
- Night Photography – Brigadier General George Goddard, 1926.
- Freon Refrigerant – Thomas Midgley Jr., 1928.
CareFlight
CareFlight’s history in Dayton has personal meaning to Dayton Unknown.
In 2003, after a serious car accident, I(Sara) was transported via CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital. Although I don’t remember the flight or many of the details of that night, I was able to formally meet the pilot, Wade, and the CareFlight Nurse, Cathy at the 20th anniversary celebration of Careflight in September of 2003, just one month after our first encounter.
Sara with CareFlight Nurse, Cathy and Pilot Wyatt.
Fun Facts about Dayton – Part 3
Here’s some more fun facts about Dayton we’ve learned during our research:
- The Private Fair statue on Main Street just south of Monument Avenue in downtown was almost a statue of the Goddess of Liberty, but ex-Civil War soldiers protested, and requested the goddess instead be a statue of a soldier. Private George Washington Fair of Dayton was the model for the statue, which was erected in 1884 – the original location at the intersection of Main and Monument.
- The statue of President McKinley in Cooper Park (behind the Dayton Library on Third Street and St. Clair) was built from funds raised and donated by local schoolchildren.
Dayton Inventions – Part 1
It is well-known that Dayton is a center for innovation. Here are a few examples of some inventions that have come from our great city:
- Cash Register – James and John Ritty, 1870.
- First Practical Airplane – Wright Brothers, 1903.
- Automobile Self-starter: Charles F. Kettering, 1911.
- Leaded Gasoline – Thomas Midgley Jr., 1921.
- Mae West Life Preserver – Frank G. Manson, 1938.
Tony Stein – Dayton’s Superhero
No greater person could be featured for July 4th.
Corporal Tony Stein
The only Daytonian to receive a Congressional Medal of Honor for WWII and the first recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for Iwo Jima, Tony Stein still does not get enough credit.
The Dayton Flu Epidemic
Dayton Daily News article from September 23, 1918.
Spanish Influenza, aka the “Grip” ran rampant among Daytonians in the early 1900’s. Despite many warnings (almost daily) about the spread of the flu, and tips to stay healthy, more and more Daytonians were getting sick.
