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Charles Kettering, on a Time cover, 1933

Model of Kettering aerial torpedo on display at National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio

Charles Franklin Kettering (August 29, 1876 – November 24 or November 25, 1958) was born in Loudonville, Ohio, USA the fourth of five children of Jacob Kettering and Martha Hunter Kettering. He was a farmer, school teacher, mechanic, engineer, scientist, inventor and social philosopher. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links This is a magazine cover. ... Image File history File links This is a magazine cover. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2560x1920, 2703 KB) Greg5030 03:52, 3 December 2006 (UTC) Taken Nov. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2560x1920, 2703 KB) Greg5030 03:52, 3 December 2006 (UTC) Taken Nov. ... The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official national museum of the United States Air Force and is located on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in Riverside, Ohio, just east of Dayton. ... is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) // January 31 - United States orders all Indigenous peoples in the United States to move onto reservations February 2 - The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed. ... is the 328th day of the year (329th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 329th day of the year (330th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... Loudonville is a village in Ashland and Holmes counties in Ohio. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... For other uses, see Farmer (disambiguation). ... For university teachers, see professor. ... Look up Mechanic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up engineer in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A scientist, in the broadest sense, refers to any person that engages in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge or an individual that engages in such practices and traditions that are linked to schools of thought or philosophy. ... For other uses, see Inventor (disambiguation). ... Social philosophy is the philosophical study of interesting questions about social behavior (typically, of humans). ...

Early life

He had poor eyesight, but acquired an electrical engineering degree from Ohio State University in 1904. While attending Ohio State University he joined the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. Electrical Engineers design power systems. ... The Ohio State University (OSU) is a coeducational public research university in the state of Ohio. ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Ohio State University (OSU) is a coeducational public research university in the state of Ohio. ... Delta Upsilon (ΔY) is one of the oldest international, all-male, college, Greek-letter social fraternities and is the first non-secret fraternity ever founded. ...

Career

Kettering was a researcher first for National Cash Register, and then for the U.S. automotive industry, founding the Dayton Engineering Laboratories company with Edward A. Deeds and Harold E. Talbott. Delco was eventually sold to General Motors, where it became the foundation for the General Motors Research Corporation and Delco Electronics. Kettering became vice president of General Motors Research Corporation in 1920. He held the position as head of research for General Motors for 27 years. Edward A. Deeds (1874–1960) was an engineer, inventor and industrialist. ... Harold E. Talbott became the third Secretary of the Air Force on Feb. ... Charles Kettering, on a Time cover, 1933 Charles Franklin Kettering (August 29, 1876–November 24 or November 25, 1958), a. ... General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is an American automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Vauxhall. ... Delco Electronics Corporation was the automotive electronics design and manufacturing subsidiary of General Motors. ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

With Henry Leland, he developed a self-starter for the Cadillac which won a Dewar Trophy as a result in 1913.^[1] Henry M. Leland was an engineer at Henry Ford Company when Henry Ford left in 1902. ...

He was heavily involved in the research for a lightweight diesel engine. This research was instrumental in the development of diesel locomotives, the first of which was a 600 h.p. unit that powered the "Pioneer Zephyr" for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. In an interview about this research, he was asked if the development of this type of engine presented any unusual problems. His classic response was, "Let it suffice to say that I don't recall having any trouble with the 'dipstick'".

Kettering and Deeds had a lifelong business, professional and personal relationship. In 1914, recognizing that Dayton was among the leading industrial cities in the United States due to the various highly-skilled engineers and technicians working in the city, they founded the Engineers Club of Dayton. After his death, his body lay in honor at the Engineers Club prior to interment in the mausoleum at Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio. Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum in Dayton, Ohio, is one of the nations oldest garden cemeteries. ...

Accomplishments

Kettering held more than 300 U.S. patents. He invented the all-electric starting, ignition, and lighting system for automobiles. Electric starters replaced crank (manual) starting of automobiles. First incorporated in the 1912 Cadillac, all-electric starting aided in the growth of the U.S. auto industry by making the automobile easy for nearly anyone to start and use. Other patents included a portable lighting system, Freon,^[2] a World War I "aerial torpedo" , the Kettering Bug, a treatment for venereal disease and an incubator for premature infants. His engine-driven generator was combined with storage batteries to form a "Delco Plant", providing an electrical lighting system for farmhouses and other locations remote from an electrical power grid. A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a government to an inventor or applicant for a limited amount of time (normally maximum 20 years from the filing date, depending on extension). ... The ignition system of an internal-combustion engine is an important part of the overall engine system that provides for the timely burning of the fuel mixture within the engine. ... Not to be confused with lightning. ... Year 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Cadillac is a brand of luxury automobile, part of the General Motors corporation, produced and mostly sold in the USA; outside of North America, they have been less successful. ... Freon is a trade name for a group of chlorofluorocarbons used primarily as a refrigerant. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Kettering Bug Full size model on display at National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio The Kettering Bug was an aerial torpedo, the forerunner of what today is considered a UAV or a cruise missile. ... Sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), also known as sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), are diseases that are commonly transmitted between partners through some form of sexual activity, most commonly vaginal intercourse, oral sex, or anal sex. ... The word incubation (from Latin incubare, to lie upon - cf. ... Generator redirects here. ... Charles Kettering, on a Time cover, 1933 Charles Franklin Kettering (August 29, 1876–November 24 or November 25, 1958), a. ... Transmission towers Transmission lines in Lund, Sweden Electric power transmission, or more accurately Electrical energy transmission, is the second process in the delivery of electricity to consumers. ...

He developed the idea of Duco paint and ethyl gasoline. He helped develop diesel engines and ways to harness solar energy. He was a pioneer in the application of magnetism to medical diagnostic techniques. Duco was a trade name assigned to a product line of automotive lacquer developed by the DuPont Company in the 1920s. ... Tetra-ethyl lead (also known as TEL, lead tetraethyl and tetraethyllead) is a toxic organometallic chemical compound, with formula (CH3CH2)4Pb, which was once used as a gasoline (petrol) additive. ... The diesel engine is a type of internal combustion engine; more specifically, a compression ignition engine, in which the fuel is ignited by the high temperature of a compressed gas, rather than a separate source of energy (such as a spark plug). ... The Solar Two 10 MW solar power facility, showing the power tower (left) surrounded by the sun-tracking mirrors. ... For other senses of this word, see magnetism (disambiguation). ... In general, diagnosis (plural diagnoses) has two distinct dictionary definitions. ...

His inventions, especially that of the automobile starter, made him very wealthy. In 1945, he helped found what became the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, based on the premise that American industrial research techniques could be applied to cancer research.^{[citation needed]} The original New York Cancer Hospital[1], first built between 1884 and 1886, now converted to luxury condominiums, at 455 Central Park West and 106th St. ...

Personal life

Kettering married Olive Williams of Ashland, Ohio, in 1905, and their only child, Eugene Williams Kettering, was born on April 20, 1908.

He built a home, Ridgeleigh Terrace, in 1914. According to local sources, this house was the first home in the United States to have electric air conditioning.^[3] Ridgeleigh Terrace was the home of his son Eugene Kettering until his death. Eugene's wife, Virginia Kettering, lived in the home for many years, restoring the home and redecorating it. In 1994, the home was seriously damaged in a fire, but Virginia Kettering, then in her 80s restored it. She continued to live there until she moved to a suite in the nearby Charles F. Kettering hospital when in her 90s.

Memorials

In 1998, GMI Engineering and Management Institute (formerly General Motors Institute), of Flint, Michigan, changed its name to Kettering University in honor of Kettering. His ideals, prowess, and belief in co-operative education continue there. Kettering is also remembered through the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, a combined cancer research and treatment center in New York City, and through the Kettering Health Network, which includes several hospitals and medical center campuses as well as the Kettering College of Medical Arts in Kettering, Ohio. Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Nickname: Location of Flint within Genesee County, Michigan. ... Kettering University (formerly the General Motors Institute) is a university in Flint, Michigan, offering degrees in engineering, the applied sciences, and management. ... Cooperative education is a structured method of combining academic education with practical work experience. ... The original New York Cancer Hospital[1], first built between 1884 and 1886, now converted to luxury condominiums, at 455 Central Park West and 106th St. ... Kettering College of Medical Arts is located in Kettering, Ohio near the city of Dayton, Ohio. ... Official Logo of the City of Kettering Kettering is a city in Montgomery County and part of Greene County in Ohio. ...

The city of Kettering, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton, was named after him when it was incorporated in 1955. Official Logo of the City of Kettering Kettering is a city in Montgomery County and part of Greene County in Ohio. ...

The former U.S. Army Air Service testing field, McCook Field, is now a Dayton park called Kettering Field. The United States Army Air Service was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. ... McCook Field was an airfield and aviation experimentation station operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps (later United States Army Air Service) of the United States Army from 1917-1927. ...

Three U.S. public schools are named after him:

• Charles F. Kettering Sr. High School in Detroit, Michigan
• Charles F. Kettering Elementary School in Ypsilanti, Michigan
• Charles F. Kettering Elementary School in Long Beach, California

Patents

• U.S. Patent 1,150,523  Engine Starting Device, Filing date: Jun 15, 1911

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Charles Kettering

• Kettering Foundation
• All-electric starting and Freon
• Inventor Hall of Fame
• Article includes a photo of Ridgeleigh Terrace
• Charles F. Kettering Memorial Hospital
• Engineers Club of Dayton
• Biography of Charles Kettering
• Today in Science History - collection of radio talks given by Kettering in 1942-1945 on science and invention, including transportation.