A Brief History of Dayton Ohio

Dayton, Ohio was founded on April 1, 1796 by a small group of US settlers. It was named after a captain in the American Revolutionary War, Jonathan Dayton, who also signed the U.S. Constitution. Ohio was admitted to the Union in 1803, and Dayton was incorporated as a town in 1805. Dayton was an important location in the War of 1812, by which it was a thriving town, with a number of different factories and mills. After the war, Dayton's population began to increase, and grew even more after the construction of the Miami and Erie Canal. The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 damaged much of the city, but it quickly recovered and began the construction of new suburban communities.

Two world-famous natives of Dayton were Wilbur and Orville Wright, who were responsible for the world's first controlled, powered flight. This started a long record of aviation accomplishments, and let Dayton become known as the "Birthplace of Aviation."

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