Toledo Time Travels

Toledo Time Travels is your source for the Toledo story—past, present, and future. We host engaging conversations about local history venues, long heard about but rarely seen spaces, Glass City artifacts, and historical preservation.

Michael J. Owens Dies

1923: Michael Owens dies in Toledo. Born in Mason County, West Virginia in 1859, Owens left school at the age of 10 for a glassware apprenticeship in Wheeling. Within five years, he became a master glassblower. He moved to Toledo in 1888 to work ...…

John Cromwell is Born

1887: John Cromwell, American actor and director (Spitfire, Of Human Bondage) is born in Toledo. For more Toledo history, visit www.holytoledohistory.com…

First Blade is Printed

1835: The first edition of the Toledo Blade newspaper is printed. It has been published daily since 1848 and is the oldest continuously run business in Toledo. For more Toledo history, visit www.holytoledohistory.com…

Katie Holmes is Born

1978: Katie Holmes, American actress (Dawson's Creek, Batman Begins) is born in Toledo. For more Toledo history, visit www.holytoledohistory.com…

Toledo Glass Company is Founded

1895: To exploit early semi-automatic glass-blowing machines developed by Michael J. Owens, Edward Drummond Libbey partners with Owens to found the Toledo Glass Company. For more Toledo history, visit www.holytoledohistory.com…

Toledo War is Over!

1836: The Toledo War unofficially ends as Michigan Territory's second attempt to pass the federal government's compromise is convened on December 14, 1836, with the delegates voting to accept the proposal. The “Frostbitten Convention,” ...…

Ursuline Sisters Arrive

1854: Five Ursuline Sisters arrive in Toledo. They soon begin to offer classes at the first Ursuline Convent and St. Ursula Academy located at Cherry Street and Erie in Toledo. For more Toledo history, visit www.holytoledohistory.com…

WTOL Signs On

1958: WTOL TV channel 11 (CBS) signs on the air for the first time on Saturday night, at 7 p.m., Dec. 6, 1958. The inaugural program is live with Ohio governor-elect Michael V. Disalle (D-Toledo), and a host of other local dignitaries, along with ...…

Botched Gangster Hit

1932: At the intersection of Superior and Jackson, a dark sedan with several Licavoli gang members pulled up and sprayed Jack Kennedy's coupe with bullets, killing his 22-year old girlfriend, Louise Bell. Kennedy walked away to fight another day. ...…

Ruby Starr is Born

1949: Ruby Starr , American rock singer (Black Oak Arkansas) is born in Toledo. For more Toledo history, visit www.holytoledohistory.com…

Toledo Fire Department is Organized

1837: The City of Toledo Department of Fire & Rescue Operations' first Volunteer Company is organized as a result of a resolution passed by the Toledo City Council. Charles McClean is elected the first Fire Chief of the Volunteer Department.…

Elvis Plays Toledo on Thanksgiving Day

1956: Elvis Presley, the future musical monarch gyrated onto the stage at the Sports Arena for two Thanksgiving Day concerts in 1956 and blew Toledo away. "The screaming youngsters frequently bordered on hysteria," the Blade reported in the next ...…

Voice of Yogi Bear is Born in Toledo

1963: Toledo newspaper strike begins when 900 members of the Newspaper Guild walked out and shut down the afternoon Blade and Morning Times operations. 1916: Daws Butler, animation voice actor (Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound) is born in Toledo.…

Owens Corning is Created

1938: Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp. is born out of the work Owens-Illinois and Corning Glass Works had been doing for several years. The new company’s products included fiber-glass filters for forced-air furnaces; residential, industrial, ...…

Cal Poly Tragedy in Toledo

1960: a Curtiss C-46 propliner, operated as a domestic charter flight by Arctic Pacific, crashed and caught fire on takeoff at the Toledo Express Airport. The aircraft, a veteran of World War II, was carrying the Cal Poly Mustangs college football ...…

First Plate Glass in Rossford

1899: Edward Ford's new factory in Rossford made its first cast of plate glass. For more Toledo history, visit www.holytoledohistory.com.…

Islamic Center Opens

1983: the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo opens its doors. The state’s first Muslim society had existed formally in Toledo, without a mosque, since 1939 and received a state charter in 1943. For more Toledo history, visit ...…

Michigan vs Notre Dame in Toledo

1902: After a night of rain, the University of Michigan football team played Notre Dame on a soft and slippery white clay field at Armory Park — home of the Mud Hens, located at the corner of Spielbusch Ave. and Orange Street here in Toledo. ...…

Riots in Toledo

2005: A riot breaks out in North Toledo during a National Socialist/Neo-Nazi protest; over 100 are arrested. For more Toledo history, visit www.holytoledohistory.com.…

Art Tatum is Born

1910: Art Tatum , American jazz pianist and composer is born in Toledo. Tatum is widely regarded as one of the greatest in his field. For more Toledo history, visit www.holytoledohistory.com.…

University of Toledo is Founded

1872: Jesup Wakeman Scott founded The University of Toledo as a private arts and trades school known as Toledo University of Arts and Trades offering painting and architectural drawing as its only subjects. For more Toledo history, visit ...…

WGTE is Fully Licensed

1960: WGTE TV Channel 30 in Toledo (PBS) is fully licensed. WGTE began in 1953 as a low-power television station on the University of Toledo campus, with a broadcast antenna in the bell tower of University Hall. It began regular operations in 1959, ...…