Ray Harroun

Ray Harroun won the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911, but he considered himself first and foremost an engineer and raced to prove his ideas practical on the racetrack, then the best automotive testing ground. Working primarily for the Marmon Car Company, he won seven more races at the Speedway besides the 500 and a dozen more on other tracks. He continued as an automotive engineer until retiring at age 79, and in 1917 he formed the Harroun Motor Sales Corporation, producing his own cars until 1922. His best known engineering achievement is the rearview mirror, first used on a car when he attached one to the winning Marmon Wasp that he designed for the 1911 500. Though not a native Hoosier, he made Anderson his home until his death in 1968 and is buried in Anderson Memorial Park.

Anderson, Indiana · United States