Book excerpt: Going back to its roots in 1791, Hamilton has been populated by exceptional and dynamic personalities who created a truly unique city. The people who contributed to the city's growth included authors Robert McCloskey, Fanny Hurst, and William Dean Howells; developer of the "Hollow Earth Theory" John Cleves Symmes; major-league pitcher Joe Nuxhall; folk artist Nan Phelps; orator and Chautauqua speaker Lou Jenks Beauchamps; world-class archer Darrell Pace; Frederick Brant Rentschler, founder of the world's largest aircraft company; teacher and aeronautical engineer Raymond L. Bisplinghoff; Frank Clair, coach and member of the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame; Rear Adm. Donald Wulzen; and Shuler and Joseph Doran, two brothers who pioneered early wireless radio in America. Hamilton has also benefited from business leaders, educators, political figures, philanthropists, city officials, and fascinating characters and citizens who have made the city an interesting community.