Happy Birthday, Dayton Ohio!
It's no April Fools! The City of Dayton was founded on April 1, 1796. Here are some fun facts about our hometown of Dayton, Ohio.
Happy Birthday, Dayton Ohio!
Dayton was founded 224 years ago today, on April 1, 1796. Here are some fun facts about our hometown.
Our city was named after Jonathan Dayton, who never actually visited the area. The namesake of our city, Jonathan Dayton (October 16, 1760 – October 9, 1824) was actually a politician from the U.S. state of New Jersey and served in the American Revolutionary War.
Read more: Who is Jonathan Dayton?
How many famous Daytonians can you name? We all know Dayton was home to the Wright Brothers, but what do you know about Paul Laurence Dunbar? Born in Dayton, Ohio to emancipated slaves, Dunbar, a friend of the Wright Brothers, became the first internationally acclaimed African-American poet.
Read more: Step Inside the Home of Paul Laurence Dunbar
Also a great read: Modern Day Dunbar - A collection of 19th century Paul Laurence Dunbar poems, with 21st century interpretations.
One of Dayton’s most beloved natives, Erma Bombeck, struggled at Ohio University, receiving rejections for every article she submitted to the school paper and barely passing first-semester freshman composition. Bombeck went on to write 13 books, was tapped to write for several magazines, contributed to Good Morning America for 11 years, and was involved in the creation of 2 television series.
Read more: Erma Bombeck: Dayton’s Famous Funny Lady
Dayton is the birthplace of aviation and square cut-pizza, right? But let's not forget Ermal Fraze, John H. Balsey, Arthur J. Frei, Levitt Luzern Custer, and of course, Charles F. Kettering. From airplanes to ice-cube trays, you might be surprised at what else was invented in Dayton!
Read more: Dayton: A City of Inventors
The Dayton International Peace Museum was founded in 2004 to honor the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords that ended war in Bosnia. In 2015, former President Bill Clinton visited Dayton to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords.
Read more: The 20th Anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords
Did you know Dayton was host to the first-ever game in the NFL! It's true! Triangle Park was home to the Dayton Triangles, one of the original teams of the American Professional Football Association (APFA) which was to later to become the National Football League (NFL).
Read more: Triangle Park: Site of First Game In The NFL
