Charles Franklin Kettering was born in Loudonville, Ohio, on August 29, 1876. In 1904, after a few years spent away from school working as a teacher and another absence from college due to his poor eyesight, Kettering graduated from Ohio State University with degrees in both mechanical and electrical engineering. Upon graduation Kettering went to work for the National Cash Register Company (NCR) in Dayton, Ohio, where he invented the first electric cash register.

While at NCR Kettering worked nights developing a better ignition system for automobiles. His system was so promising that he left NCR to form his own company with Edward A. Deeds, called the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company, or Delco, as the company was soon called. It was here that Kettering developed the electric self-starter for automobiles as part of a comprehensive electrical system for automobiles that also included improvements in the ignition and lighting systems. These systems...