This Day in History – September 22nd, 1942

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On September 22, 1942, Tony Stein enlisted in the Marine Corps. Tony graduated from Kiser High School in 1939 and worked for General Motors in the Delco Division before enlisting.

As Dayton’s only WWII Congressional Medal of Honor Winner, Tony earned the honor by his heroic actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima. While in battle, Tony went from one enemy pillbox to the next, killing 20 enemy soldiers. His gun was shot out of his hands not once, but twice. When Tony ran out of ammunition, he ran back to the beach for more, carrying a wounded fellow soldier with him. Tony removed his shoes and helmet to help him move quicker. When Tony dropped the soldier off at the beach, he grabbed ammo and ran back into action, dropped off the ammo, then returned with another injured soldier. Tony repeated this cycle many times, ultimately rescuing eight soldiers. The Marine Corps still honors him through the Tony Stein Workout.

Tony died on March 1, 1945. He was killed after volunteering to locate enemy machine gun placements that pinned down his company at Mount Suribachi. Tony was buried with honors in Calvary Cemetery in Dayton.

For the full story, check out our story Tony Stein – Dayton’s Superhero.

Let’s get Spooky!

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Dayton Unknown will be joining Spooky Spectacular on October 4th for a spooky-themed photo scavenger hunt at a spooky-themed craft show!

What is a photo scavenger hunt?

A photo scavenger hunt is essentially a scavenger hunt that involves taking photos instead of finding objects. Every group or contestant will receive a list of prompts to encourage creativity and exploration of the area.

Dayton Unknown will be at the entrance to the event to pass out information and goodies. Make sure you come see us!

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Raise Your Brush – Dayton Skyline

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This past Tuesday, we attended the Dayton Skyline fundraiser at Raise Your Brush in Centerville, which was a fundraiser for the Oregon District Tragedy Fund!

Sara’s painting is a view from the north, looking south at downtown, with the river in the foreground, while Bethany’s is a view from the south, looking north at downtown – approximately from the Woodland Cemetery perspective, with trees in the foreground.

We had such a great time, and love our paintings. Raise Your Brush was able to raise over $1,000 to donate to such a great cause.

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This Day in History – August 29th, 1876

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On August 29, 1876, Charles F. Kettering was born in a farmhouse near Loudonville, Ohio. After graduating high school, Kettering taught at rural schools to save for college tuition. He enrolled at the College of Wooster but had to drop out due to problems with his eyesight. He returned to teaching until he enrolled at Ohio State University, but again he had to drop out due to his eyesight. After a brief stint as a lineman, Kettering returned to Ohio State, this time graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical and electrical engineering.

As an engineer, Kettering invented an electric cash register that eliminated the need for a hand crank, developed the first self-starting auto ignition system, and organized the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (Delco). Kettering had more than 140 patents.

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Raise Your Brush Dayton Skyline Fundraiser

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Raise Your Brush in Centerville is hosting a fundraiser for the Dayton Oregon District Tragedy Fund with a painting of the Dayton skyline!

Dayton-Skyline-Raise-Your-Brush

Source: Raise Your Brush

Unfortunately, the event is sold out at this time, but there is a Waiting List you can sign up for!

What: Raise Your Brush Dayton Skyline Fundraiser
Where: 169 North Main Street, Centerville, OH 45459
When: Tuesday, September 3rd at 7pm

For more information, check out the event on Raise Your Brush’s website.

All-Day Kindergarten in Kettering

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This fall will start the first year of all-day Kindergarten for Kettering Schools. Voters approved the school levy by a ratio of 55 to 45.

The levy will also enhance other areas of the Kettering School system, such as:

  • Security Cameras and Door Barricades
  • Background Checks for Volunteers
  • More Mental Health Services
  • Additional School Resource Officers
  • Expanded Career Readiness Expansion

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8.4.2019

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Words cannot truly express the sadness and anger we are all feeling after the events of August 4th, 2019. Here at Dayton Unknown we would like to do our part in paying tribute to the nine victims who lost their lives.

  • Saheed Saleh, age 38

    Saheed Saleh
    A refugee from Eritrea, Saheed was a kindhearted and hard-working family man, working as a forklift operator at DHL, often 7 days a week. Although he didn’t go out much, he decided to go out for a few beers with a friend that night. Saheed is survived by his wife and their five year old daughter.

  • Megan Betts, age 22

    Megan Betts
    Megan was studying environmental science at Wright State and sang in the university chorus. She planned to graduate in 2020. Friends of Megan described her as strange, but in a good way.

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Mark Dennis

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Although the Dennis family accepted the coffin with the flag draped over the top, they were not convinced it carried the remains of Mark.

Mark V. Dennis was the youngest son of Charles and Vera Dennis. His father Charles had a sense of humor and decided to give Mark the Roman numeral V as a middle initial since he was the fifth child. Shortly after graduating high school in 1964, Mark enlisted in the Navy, training to be a medic. Mark hoped the medic training would help him in his aspirations to become a missionary after his military service. Although he was initially stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Wasp, he asked to be transferred so he could help with the effort in Vietnam. He was assigned as a medic and acting chaplain to a Marine unit fighting during Operation Hastings. On July 16, 1966, thirteen men boarded a C-47 Chinook helicopter before it lifted in the air. As it was flying over the Quang Tri Province, the helicopter was shot down by enemies.

Mark DennisSource

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Smith Gardens

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“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” ― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden


Smith Gardens, located in Oakwood, is an enchanting little garden. In the 1930s the garden was planted by the owners of the land, Carlton and Jeanette Smith and is now a city park. According to the Oakwood Historical Society, in April 1996, Ohio Magazine called Smith Gardens the “finest tiny public garden in Ohio. It’s like a secret treasure on an ordinary side street.”

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July 20th, 1969 – 50 years ago

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“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” – Neil Armstrong, July 20th, 1969

This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of men first walking on the moon. The Apollo 11 spaceflight was launched from Florida on July 16th, 1969, and the first man to set foot on the moon was Neil Armstrong, from Wapakoneta – about an hour north of Dayton.

Neil_Armstrong_pose                                                         Source: Wikipedia

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