- City of Firsts
Kokomo, Indiana is called the "City of Firsts" due to the many products invented here and history of technological discoveries made. Many can be attributed to the automotive industry, which traces its roots back to "America's First Car" that Elwood Haynes first tested in 1894.
- America's First Car
Invented by Elwood Haynes and road tested July 4, 1894, on Pumpkinvine Pike.
- First Pneumatic Rubber Tire
Invented by D.C. Spraker, President of Kokomo Rubber Tire Company, in October, 1894. The tire was made of strips of three-ply rubber, canvas, and other wrappings of vulcanized rubber wound around a slender pole.
- First Aluminum Casting
Invented by William "Billy" Johnson at the Ford & Donnelly Foundry in 1895.
- First Carburetor
Developed by George Kingston in 1902.
- First Stellite Cobalt-based Alloy
Discovered by Elwood Haynes in 1906 while searching for a metal to make tableware.
- First Stainless Steel
Invented by Elwood Haynes in 1912 to satisfy Mrs. Haynes' demand for tarnish-free dinnerware.
- First American Howitzer Shell
Used in actual warfare, was made by the Superior Machine Tool Company in 1918.
- First Aerial Bomb with Fins
Developed in 1918 by the Liberty Pressed Metal Company.
- First Mechanical Corn Picker
Developed by John Powell in the early 1920's.
- First Dirilyte Golden Hued Tableware
Invented by Carl Molin in 1926.
- First Canned Tomato Juice
Developed by Kemp Brothers Canning Company in 1928 at the request of a Saint Louis physician searching for baby food to use in his clinic.
- First Push-Button Car Radio
Developed in 1938 by Delco Radio Division of G.M.
- First All Metal Life Boats and Rafts
Manufactured by Globe American Stove company, the lifeboat was developed in 1941. The life raft was developed in 1943 and was nicknamed the Kokomo Kid.
- First Signal-Seeking Car Radio
Developed in 1947 by Delco Radio Division of G.M.
- First All Transistor Car Radio
Developed in 1957 by Delco Radio Division of G.M.
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