Charles Kettering

American inventor and head of General Motors Research (1920–1947) who invented the electric car starter (eliminating the hand crank), leaded gasoline, and Freon refrigerant — making him one of the most impactful (and, later, controversial) inventors of the 20th century.

Invented the electric starter for automobiles — which made cars accessible to women and people without the physical strength for a hand crank — and led the GM research culture that made systematic industrial R&D the model for American corporate research.