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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Hometown Eats – Part 2
Some of our favorite local restaurants:
- India Oven – Indian Cuisine
– 39 South Springboro Pike, Miamisburg
– Lunch Buffet
– Try the Mango Lassi
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 Unknown Spotlight: Bea
On July 12th, we hosted Dayton Unknown’s first (but not last) Scavenger Hunt, with one of the prizes being a feature in the blog. We are happy to announce the winner, Bea, in the category of “Most Literal.”
Bea’s submission for, “Funny Face or Pose with a Tree.”
Local Street Names – Part 3
Time for more Dayton street name origins!
- Ashley Street: Ashley Brown, son-in-law of Colonel Robert Patterson.
- Schantz Road: Named for Adam Schantz, local brewer.
- Spinning Road: Isaac Spinning, a Colonel in the Revolutionary War, and a judge in Dayton.
Ay Caramba! Nancy Cartwright – the Voice of Kettering
If you talk to the right people in Kettering, they can tell you their personal accounts of knowing Nancy Cartwright, including my middle school history teacher, whose claim to fame was that the voice of Bart Simpson used to be his babysitter and Bethany’s drama teacher teaching Nancy in high school.
Seen in Old North Dayton
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.
Dayton Unknown 