When Toledoans looked skyward on June 30, 1905, they spotted something never seen here before: a 58-foot-long dirigible made of Japanese silk that floated from the fairgrounds at Dorr Street and Upton Avenue to downtown. Augustus Roy Knabenshue maneuvered the airship 1,000 feet above the ground, steering it to the top of the Spitzer Building. He landed it safely, amid smokestacks and wires, as spectators gazed at the contraption. It was the first powered flight in Ohio and was captured in this archived photo from the Toledo Blade. In the photo the Nasby Building is on the right, and on the left is the Spitzer Building. The son of Samuel Knabenshue, a former editor of the Weekly Blade, Roy came from a well-respected Toledo family that was a little puzzled by his aerial pursuits. His father became the U.S. consul in Belfast and his brother, Frederick, was a Spanish-American War hero. Roy Knabenshue, a 29-year-old electrical engineer, named his invention the “Toledo No. 1.” In August of 1905, Knabenshue made the first airship flight over New York City, landing “Toledo No. 2” on a tree in Central Park. In 1910, the former dirigible driver became the manager for the Wright Co.’s (as in the Wright Brothers) exhibition team as the fascination with dirigibles shifted to airplanes.
THE BLADE
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Workers from Canaan Construction install Echo, the ringed sculpture that was created by local artists out of the reclaimed smokestacks from the former steam plant, Wednesday, June 21, 2017.
The Blade/Andy Morrison
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Fiber glass sculptures called "Goal Achievers" created by Ancizar Marin, of Florida, are hung on the walls of his booth during the 52nd annual Crosby Festival of the Arts at the Toledo Botanical Garden on June 24, 2017.
The Blade/Amy E. Voigt
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Anthony Clark, 11, leads other youths as they do sprints while working out at the Toledo-Lucas County Police Athletic League, Wednesday, June 21, 2017.
The Blade/Andy Morrison
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Kyle Spearman, 15, of Toledo, dives into the pool from the diving board during opening day at Roosevelt Pool in Toledo on Saturday, June 24, 2017.
The Blade/Kurt Steiss
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A boat goes down the Maumee River in front of the Toledo skyline at sunset on Monday, June 19, 2017.
The Blade/Kurt Steiss
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Clay Cutchall, front, plays son Cole Cutchall, 17, both of Elmore, Ohio, at the "I Like Big Putts" mini golf game during the 38th annual Portage River Festival in Elmore, Ohio, on Sunday, June 25, 2017.
The Blade/Kurt Steiss
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Taden Williams, 13, of Toledo, watches a flame change colors during a flame test so that they would be able to identify chemicals at a crime scene during Forensic Camp at the Toledo Technology Academy on June 22, 2017.
The Blade/Amy E. Voigt
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A pair of 1964 Ford Mustangs are part of Ron Hackenberger's private collector of old cars that is going to be auctioned Wednesday, June 21, 2017, in Norwalk, Ohio.
THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH
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Visitors gather for the ribbon cutting during the grand reopening of the Lonz Winery in Middle Bass Island State Park on June 23, 2017.
The Blade/Amy E. Voigt
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The interior of the Lonz Winery during the grand reopening of the Lonz Winery in Middle Bass Island State Park on June 23, 2017.
The Blade/Amy E. Voigt
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Campers get messy while making a glacier with glue during a glacier-making activiting in the Blast to the Past Living History Day Camp at the Brandville School in Oregon, Ohio.
The Blade/Lori King
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Tanasio Loudermill, left, and Makala White, right, both of Toledo, listen to speakers during a peace rally in International Park on June 24, 2017.
The Blade/Amy E. Voigt
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Veteran's Glass City Skyway Bridge, Tuesday, June 20, 2017.
The Blade/Andy Morrison
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Austin Holp and Willow Holp, 6, of New Paris, Ohio, go around on a steam tractor during the 73rd Annual Reunion of the National Threshers Association at the Fulton County Fairgrounds in Wauseon, Ohio, on Thursday, June 22, 2017.
The Blade/Kurt Steiss
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Rockne Saunders' friend and drive-in employee Brett Hill, 21, of Liberty Center drives him around the Saunders property on an ATV near the Field of Dreams Drive-In Theater in Liberty Center, Ohio. The boys became friends through school.
The Blade/Kurt Steiss
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A classic car sits in the field at the Field of Dreams Drive-In Theater in Liberty Center, Ohio.
The Blade/Kurt Steiss
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Jonathan Miksanek, a photographer with Prestige Portraits on Levis Commons, Perrysburg, waits for a client near the bridge at Silver Lake in Sidecut Metropark in Maumee, Ohio on June 21, 2017.
The Blade/Jetta Fraser
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A storm that was produced 70+mph winds in the area moves through downtown Toledo,OH on Thursday June 22,2017 Photographed from the Martin Luther King Bridge. THE BLADE/AMY VOIGT
THE BLADE/AMY VOIGT
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IBF Lightweight Champion Robert Easter Jr. , right, spars with his father Robert Easter Tuesday, June 20, 2017, at the Glass City Boxing Gym in Toledo, Ohio.
THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH
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