Dayton was founded on April 1, 1796. Dayton was incorporated in 1805 and chartered as a city in 1841. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The city was named after Jonathan Dayton.
Paul Laurence Dunbar, an African-American poet and novelist, penned his most famous works in the late 19th century and became an integral part of the city’s history.
Dayton has been the home for many patents and inventions since the 1870s. According to the National Park Service, citing information from the U.S. Patent Office, Dayton had granted more patents per capita than any other U.S. city in 1890 and ranked fifth in the nation as early as 1870.
The Wright brothers were inventors of the airplane in their Dayton shop. Their first U.S. patent did not claim invention of a flying machine, but rather a system of aerodynamic control that manipulated a flying machine’s surfaces.
Since the Dayton community is known for its many patents, inventions, and inventors, most notably the Wright brothers’ invention of powered flight, how can that spirit be carried on today? In the spirit of these early creators, serious Dayton men and women can carry on their legacy by becoming online or offline inventors today.
Local Dayton and Montgomery County entrepreneurs have created business opportunities in the Dayton area. With the help of local business leaders, the demand for startup ventures and the need for more goods and services has ignited the spirit of local business ownership in the Dayton community.