Cruise Control Was The Creation Of Blind Inventor Ralph Teetor After His Lawyer Annoyed Him
One of the most widely used features of modern cars was born out of a frustrating car ride a brilliant, but blind, engineer took with his attorney
Innovation is often taken for granted. Every time something is invented that makes life a little bit easier, people gobble it up until the next thing comes along to fawn over, leaving little room for true appreciation. One 20th century development that has been used countless times the world over is cruise control — the function of a vehicle to go a set speed without having to continuously employ the gas pedal. Surprisingly, this driving feature was originated by a brilliant inventor named Ralph Teetor, despite being completely blind when he developed the concept.
Teetor was born in Indiana in 1890. At the age of five, an accident with a knife claimed one of his eyes, and a medical condition claimed sight in his other eye the following year. He never let his disability stop him, and even preferred not talking about it.
He went on to earn multiple engineering degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and worked in the motor division of his family’s Teetor-Hartley Motor Company. After this was sold…
