On February 8, 1916, C.F. Kettering received U.S. Patent No. 1,171,055, on an Engine Starting, Lighting, and Ignition System:

In addition to the electrical ignition system of the ‘055 patent, Charles Franklin Kettering invented and patented (U.S. Patent No. 1,150,523) the self-starter for automobile engines:

Kettering graduated from Ohio State University in 1904 as an engineer. He helped found Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company or Delco, where he invented his most significant engine devices. His engine-driven generator, named the “Delco,” provided electricity on millions of farms. Kettering sold his company to General Motors, where he set up and ran a central research laboratory for 31 years, until his retirement in 1947. Among other things, the lab developed a lightweight diesel engine that made the diesel locomotive possible, the refrigerant Freon, four-wheel brakes, and safety glass. Kettering was the holder of more than 140 patents.

Along with GM President Alfred Sloan, he established the Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research.