Diebold founded Diebold Bahmann in 1859 as a manufacturer of safes and vaults in Cincinnati , Ohio . Charles gave his company a good reputation after The Great Chicago Fire in 1871 which leveled most of the city . Rumors went about that the 878 safes in the area had the items in them intact . In 1872 , needing more room for his expanding company , moved to Canton , Ohio where most of the post-fire orders were from . Two years later , in 1874 , Wells Fargo asked Diebold to make the world 's largest vault at the time : a 32-foot-long , 27-foot-wide , 12-foot high vault that was moved to San Francisco on a 47 car long train . In 1876 Diebold was incorporated by The State of Ohio as Diebold Safe & Lock Co . Its first international shipment in Diebold 's lifetime was to the President of Mexico , Manuel González Flores in 1881 . The final major event for the company in his lifetime was the introduction of magnesium steel doors which were billed as TNT-proof which was becoming a new way for thieves to break into banks
The Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Charles Diebold