First explored for France by Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, in 1669, the Ohio region became British property after the French and Indian Wars. Ohio was acquired by the U.S. after the Revolutionary War in 1783. In 1788, the first permanent settlement was established at Marietta, capital of the Northwest Territory.

The 1790s saw severe fighting with the Indians in Ohio; a major battle was won by Maj. Gen. Anthony Wayne at Fallen Timbers in 1794. In the War of 1812, Commodore Oliver H. Perry defeated the British in the Battle of Lake Erie on Sept. 10, 1813.

Ohio is one of the nation's industrial leaders, ranking third in manufacturing employment nationwide. Important manufacturing centers are located in or near Ohio's major cities. Akron is known for rubber; Canton for roller bearings; Cincinnati for jet engines and machine tools; Cleveland for auto assembly, auto parts, and steel; Dayton for office machines, refrigeration, and heating and auto equipment; Youngstown and Steubenville for steel; and Toledo for glass and auto parts.

The state's fertile soil produces soybeans, corn, oats, greenhouse and nursery products, wheat, hay, and fruit, including apples, peaches, strawberries, and grapes. More than half of Ohio's farm receipts come from dairy farming and sheep and hog raising. Ohio ranks fourth among the states in lime production and also ranks high in sand and gravel and crushed stone production.

Tourism is a valuable revenue producer, bringing in $25.7 billion in 2000. Attractions include the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Indian burial grounds at Mound City Group National Monument, Perry's Victory International Peace Memorial, the Pro Football Hall of Fame at Canton, and the homes of presidents Grant, Taft, Hayes, Harding, and Garfield.

Coming Soon!

See more on Ohio:
Encyclopedia: Ohio
Encyclopedia: Geography
Encyclopedia: Economy
Encyclopedia: Government
Encyclopedia: History
Monthly Temperature Extremes

Selected famous natives and residents:

Neil Armstrong astronaut;
Kathleen Battle soprano;
George Bellows painter and lithographer;
Ambrose Bierce journalist;
Erma Bombeck columnist;
Bill Boyd (Hopalong Cassidy) actor;
Milton Caniff cartoonist;
Hart Crane poet;
George Armstrong Custer army officer;
Dorothy Dandridge actress;
Doris Day singer and actress;
Clarence Darrow lawyer;
Ruby Dee actress;
Rita Dove poet;
Hugh Downs TV broadcaster;
Thomas A. Edison inventor;
Clark Gable actor;
James A. Garfield president;
Lillian Gish actress;
John Glenn astronaut and senator;
Ulysses S. Grant president;
Warren G. Harding president;
Rutherford Hayes president;
Benjamin Harrison president;
William Dean Howells novelist and critic;
Zane Grey author;
Robert Henri painter;
Kenisaw Mountain Landis first baseball commissioner;
Dean Martin singer and actor;
William McKinley president;
Paul Newman actor;
Jack Nicklaus golfer;
Annie Oakley markswoman;
Norman Vincent Peale clergyman;
Tyrone Power actor;
Judith Resnik astronaut;
Eddie Rickenbacker aviator;
Roy Rogers actor and singer;
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. historian;
William Tecumseh Sherman army general;
Gloria Steinem feminist;
William H. Taft president;
Tecumseh Shawnee Indian chief;
Lowell Thomas explorer and commentator;
James Thurber author and cartoonist;
Orville Wright inventor;
Cy Young baseball player