First Cash Register Replica photograph   Save
Ohio Department of Industrial and Economic Development
Description: This image shows a replica of the First Cash Register as made by Charles F. Kettering in Dayton, Ohio. Kettering graduated from The Ohio State University in 1904 with a degree in engineering. After obtaining his diploma, Kettering moved to Dayton, where he obtained a job at the National Cash Register Company. There, he helped to develop the first electric cash register. Kettering was hired as the head of General Motors's new research division and became a vice president in the company in 1920. Kettering continued to develop new technology for automobiles throughout his life, including spark plugs, leaded gasoline, the automatic transmission, and four-wheel brakes. Under his leadership, General Motors also developed diesel engines, safety glass, and the refrigerant Freon. In 1945, he and General Motors president Alfred Sloan established the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, which was located in New York City. Kettering received numerous honors for his contributions to technological research. He was awarded dozens of honorary doctorates and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Kettering died in November 1958. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06523
Subjects: Kettering, Charles, 1876-1958; Automobile industry; National Cash Register Company
Places: Dayton (Ohio); Montgomery County (Ohio)