The River Walk begins at the northeast corner of Main Street and Monument Avenue, where you will see an 8×8 brick medallion in the pavement. This medallion announces that Dayton is the “Innovation Capital of the World,” due to the fact that Dayton has had more inventions per capita than any other city in the United States.
Besides the seven main Invention Stations, the bricks commemorate several other inventions and innovations:
- cellophane
- digital watches
- Freon
- the cracking of the Enigma Code in WWII
If you’re interested in walking around the Dayton Inventors River Walk to get a little bit of excerise, check out our post, Exercise Dayton: Riverscape Inventors Walk. We have also hosted a Photo Walk at the Inventors Walk!
Dayton Sights: Wright Brothers Benches
“It wasn’t luck that made them fly; it was hard work and common sense; they put their whole heart and soul and all their energy into an idea and they had the faith.” – John T. Daniels, who witnessed the first flights.
There are reportedly nine identical benches sculpted by David Evans Black, located all around the Dayton area. On the edge of the seat on the front, it reads, “Dedicated to the immortal spirit of Daytonians Orville and Wilbur Wright…” and continues on the back seat-edge with, “whose gift of powered flight lifted our world forever skyward.” The bench is designed to be reminiscent of the bench shown in the famous photograph of the Wright brothers’ first flight.
Winter in Dayton
Also, if you have any great winter pics to share, please send them to us at daytonunknown@hotmail.com and if we may just share your pictures too! Please make sure to provide your full name for photo credit!
Real Change Dayton
How often are you stopped at a red light and see someone standing on the corner holding a sign and asking for money? Don’t feel bad about not handing them your cash – there are better ways to help them.
A collaboration of Downtown Dayton Partnership, the City of Dayton, Montgomery County, United Way of the Greater Dayton Area, and partnering with Goodwill Easter Seals of the Miami Valley, The Foodbank, Homefull, Miami Valley Housing Opportunities, Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS), PATH (Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness) Programs, and St. Vincent De Paul, Real Change Dayton is a program designed to address the growing panhandling problem in the Dayton area.
Exercise Dayton – Link Bikes
If you’ve been in the downtown Dayton, no doubt you’ve seen the bright green Link Bikes in action.
Riders can access the bikes at any of twenty-four stations throughout the downtown area. Bikes are available for one time users, and memberships are also available. Trips are available for 30 minutes at a time, and if a rider wants to use the bike longer, they can either check the bike back in then check it out again, or they can keep the bike past 30 minutes and pay an additional fee.
Summer Events
We’ve attended a few of the great events in Dayton so far this summer season, and wanted to share some pictures. Take a look!
Dayton Fun Facts
Time for another round of small, but interesting facts we’ve found in our research!
- Dayton is the 6th largest city in Ohio.
- There are a few former Indian burial grounds: one at the corner of Water Street (now Monument Avenue) and Beckel Street (Beckel Street still currently exists in part, but no longer intersects with Monument Avenue), one on the Fairgrounds Hill, one on a knoll in Woodland Cemetery, one at the north end of the Dayton View Bridge, and one at the west end of the Third Street Bridge.
- James S. Trent – for whom Trent Arena at Fairmont High School is named – was a superintendent and educator.
- The Dayton Dragons, farm team for the Cincinnati Reds, have played ball downtown since 2000, and recently set the national professional sports record for consecutive sellout home games.
More Dayton Fun Facts
- Legendary bank robber ‘Red’ Leary made an appearance at the 1874 Dayton Fair (also known as the South Ohio Fair) to pick-pocket the crowds. Red was later arrested at the Union Depot while waiting for his train out of town. Due to lack of evidence, he was never formerly charged.
- In 1841, a skeleton of a Native American wearing a necklace with 170 copper beads was found in a mound on the east end of First Street. The mound was destroyed to clear way for a road.
Dayton Unknown 