E3’s History-Making Spark Plugs
171 years ago this month, the first known spark plug was invented by Edmond Berger, historians say. Unfortunately, Berger failed to patent his spark plug invention, so documented history points to Sir Oliver Lodge of England, whose sons parlayed the “Lodge Igniter” into a profitable company founded in 1903. The next year, Albert Champion, a world renowned bicycle and motorcycle racer who made extra cash by handcrafting spark plugs and selling them to friends, moved from France to Flint, Michigan and founded Champion Ignition Company. Investor drama left Champion jobless, but he soon found himself appointed president of the AC Spark Plug Company formed with backing from Buick Motor Co. AC spark plugs were used in Charles Lindbergh’s and Amelia Earhart’s trans-Atlantic flights and fired the second and third stage rocket engines that took Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins to the moon.
