Dayton

Hi there Internet readers. Dave here. I’m getting into the blogging habit, partially as a way to practice written communication, partially to share knowledge (along with my open source software contributions), and partially as a way to converse with likeminded souls that share my interests.

A bit about me. I’m a software developer in a small-to-midsized U. S. city called Dayton. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of it. I knew nothing about it for the longest time myself. Like many in this area, I’m a transplant: I wasn’t born and raised in the Midwest but through happenstance find myself here. And it’s a good place to be. It’s not a big-name technical hub like San Francisco or New York city, but rather goes unrecognized despite deserving merit. You probably know nearby cities: Cincinnati, Columbus or the city to the north, Cleveland. Each were key to the industrial development of our nation, at one point housed the titans of industry and were the sources of major technical innovation.

Dayton, too, was a major technical innovation city one hundred years ago. Wilbur and Orville Wright first opened their bicycle shop and began developing their manned flying machine, the Wright Flyer, in Dayton. The poptop can, beloved by generations of bubbly drink lovers, started here. You may have even heard of a company called Standard Register, creator of the original cash register and parent to International Business Machines (IBM) started here. Self-starting engines, refridgeration, and many other ideas were prototyped and built here in Dayton. But given the proximity to other, larger cities, Dayton for the most part, goes unrecognized.

Is this like being in a family with highly successful siblings? You don’t feel special unless you go elsewhere? How do you find out about the exciting history of your area?