One of the characters we found was Roy Plunkett, an area native who went on to do great things in chemistry. One of his biggest accomplishments was creating an innovation that’s now part of our daily lives.
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For this edition of Vintage Dayton, we went into the archives for Plunkett’s story, including how he got his start and how he discovered Teflon.
• TODAY’S FEATURED STORY: Discovering Teflon by accident: How New Carlisle native Roy Plunkett changed all of our lives
More on Dayton inventions
• 10 inventors who changed the world from the Dayton region
• 13 things you might not have known were invented in Dayton
• 5 patents that show the innovative genius of Daytonians
Did you know?
Here are a few great Dayton history facts we’ve learned from our stories:
• Among Dayton’s aviation milestones was the first-ever cargo flight in 1910
The Wright brothers hired Philip Parmelee to fly a Wright-B Flyer from Dayton to Columbus on Nov. 7, 1910 to deliver 200 pounds of silk to a department store. The flight is considered the first use of an airplane to deliver cargo.
• Martin Sheen’s acting career was jump-started by the owner of Dorothy Lane Market
Sheen, the Dayton native who turns 84 on Saturday, had his first audition trip to New York paid for by Calvin Mayne after he appeared on a local talent show program.
• Fireworks and an air show helped open the first Dayton airport in 1929
A two-day dedication ceremony was held July 31-Aug. 1, 1929 for the airport located on 310 acres of land in Vandalia.
We want your help!
Do you have any requests or ideas that you would like to see us cover in this history newsletter?
What about cool old photos or stories of your own?
Let us know and we’ll include them in future newsletters.
In the time since Middletown native JD Vance was announced as Donald Trump’s vice-presidential running mate, we’ve received a few questions about other famous politicians from the area or visits from presidents and vice presidents. We’re pursuing a few more stories on those fronts, and we wanted to share this great piece from our archives on Ronald Reagan’s visit to Dayton in 1984.
• Click here for our story: When Ronald Reagan called to space from Dayton’s Union Station
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Thank you for reading.
Credit: Dayton Daily News Archive
Credit: Dayton Daily News Archive