Ralph Teetor

Ralph Teetor (1890 to 1982) was an American automotive engineer who invented cruise control in the 1940s, a speed control technology first limited to luxury vehicles that became a standard feature offering ease of driving, safety and fuel efficiency. Born in Hagerstown, Indiana, he lost the sight of both eyes after a knife accident at the age of five and relied on a heightened sense of touch throughout his career. His father and uncles trained him as a machinist in the family business, Perfect Circle Corporation, and at twelve he designed and built a three horsepower motor car that could reach twelve miles an hour. He studied mechanical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania and earned his bachelor degree in 1912, becoming the first blind engineer on record in the United States. He served as lead engineer at Perfect Circle and was assistant engineer from 1919 until 1937, when he became vice president of the company.