Charles Kettering

The electric starter is officially a centenarian. On Aug. 17, 1915, Charles Kettering was issued a patent for his “engine-starting device”—the first automotive electric starter. Kettering, co-founder of Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co. (or DELCO), was tasked with developing the new starter by Cadillac in 1911. Prior to electric starters, drivers used iron hand cranks to fire their