Today in Detroit History
Michigan Topics: Ann Arbor - Flint, MI - Grand Rapids
Historical Events
Results 1 - 100 of 126
1701-07-24 - Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac found trading post at Ft Pontchartrain, which later becomes the city of Detroit
1760-11-29 - French commandant Beletre surrenders Detroit to Maj R Rogers
1812-07-11 - US invades Canada (Detroit frontier)
1812-08-16 - Gen Hull surrenders Detroit & Michigan territory to England
1839-02-18 - Detroit Boat Club forms (& still exists)
1858-04-12 - 1st US billiards championship (Michael J Phelan wins in Detroit)
1867-11-26 - Refrigerated railroad car patented by JB Sutherland of Detroit
1868-01-16 - Refrigerator car patented by William Davis, a fish dealer in Detroit
1887-03-02 - American Trotting Association organized in Detroit
1887-10-21 - Detroit clinches best-of-15 touring World Championship with its 8th victory in Game 11 this afternoon in Baltimore, 13-3
1887-10-26 - Detroit (NL) beats St Louis (AA) 10 games to 5 in World Series
1894-01-30 - Pneumatic hammer patented by Charles King of Detroit
1896-03-06 - 1st auto in Detroit, Charles B King rides his "Horseless Carriage"
1896-06-04 - Henry takes his 1st Ford through streets of Detroit
1900-01-29 - American League organized in Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee & Minneapolis
1900-03-16 - Chicago, KC, Minn, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleve & Buffalo
1905-09-05 - Lillian Mortimer's "No Mother to Guide," premieres in Detroit
1906-10-01 - Hugh Jennings resigns as Balt manager to take over at Detroit in 1907
1907-08-02 - Walter Johnson, 19, debuts with Washington & loses 3-2 to Detroit
1908-09-27 - The first production of the Ford Model T automobile was built at the Piquette Plant in Detroit, Michigan.
1908-10-05 - White Sox Ed Walsh tops Detroit 6-1 for his 40th victory
1910-08-27 - Wash Red Killefer sacrifices record 4 times against Detroit
1912-04-20 - Tiger Stadium in Detroit opens, Tigers beat Cleve Indians 6-5
1912-07-04 - Detroit Tiger George Mullen no-hits St Louis Browns, 7-0
1912-09-07 - Eddie Collins steals record 6 bases in 9-7 Athletics win over Detroit
1915-01-21 - Kiwanis International founded in Detroit
1915-09-30 - Red Sox clinch AL pennant by beating Detroit
1920-05-14 - Wash Senator Walter Johnson wins his 300th game vs Detroit
1920-08-20 - 1st US coml radio, 8MK (WWJ), Detroit began daily broadcasting
1920-08-31 - Detroit radio station is 1st to broadcast a news program on the air
1921-06-06 - Detroit Stars' Bill Gatewood pitches the 1st no-hitter in Negro League history, defeating the Cuban Stars 4-0
1922-03-03 - WWJ-AM in Detroit MI begins radio transmissions
1925-08-20 - WJR-AM in Detroit MI begins radio transmissions
1926-10-24 - Harry Houdini's last performance, which was at the Garrick Theatre in Detroit, Michigan.
1927-01-05 - Judge Landis begins 3-day public hearing on charges that 4 games played between Chicago & Detroit in 1917 had been thrown to White Sox
1930-01-20 - 1st radio broadcast of "Lone Ranger" (WXYZ-Detroit)
1930-06-28 - 1st night game in Detroit at newly built Hamtramck Stadium as Negro League Detroit Stars take on KC Monarchs
1930-11-03 - 1st vehicular tunnel to a foreign country (Detroit-Windsor) opens
1930-11-22 - Elijah Muhammad forms Nation of Islam in Detroit
1931-08-18 - Lou Gehrig hitless in Detroit, his 1,000th consecutively played game
1934-07-13 - Babe Ruth hits HR #700 (against Detroit)
1934-09-24 - Idle Detroit wins pennant, as Red Sox beat Yankees 5-0
1936-01-31 - "Green Hornet" radio show is 1st heard on WXYZ Radio in Detroit
1937-09-23 - Yankees lose 9-5 but clinch pennant when Red Sox beat Detroit
1941-07-08 - 9th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 7-5 at Briggs Stadium, Detroit
1941-08-06 - Detroit pitcher Al Benton is 1st to collect 2 sacrifices in an inning
1942-02-28 - Race riot, Sojourner Truth Homes, Detroit
1942-10-28 - Train crashes into bus, killing 16 & injuring 20 (Detroit Michigan)
1943-06-20 - Detroit race riot kills 35
1943-06-21 - Federal troops put down racial riot in Detroit 30 dead
1943-06-25 - Racial unrest in Detroit
1947-03-04 - WWJ (now WDIV) TV channel 4 in Detroit, MI (NBC) begins broadcasting
1947-06-15 - 1st night game at Detroit Briggs Stadium (Tigers 4, Athletics 1)
1947-06-24 - 29th PGA Championship: Jim Ferrier at Plum Hollow CC Detroit
1948-04-20 - Walter P Reuther UAW pres shot & wounded at his home in Detroit
1948-10-09 - WXYZ TV channel 7 in Detroit, MI (ABC) begins broadcasting
1948-10-24 - WJBK TV channel 2 in Detroit, MI (CBS) begins broadcasting
1949-03-10 - Detroit Tiger pitcher Art Houtteman is critically injured in an auto accident but recovers to win 15 games in 1949
1950-07-02 - Indian Bob Feller, wins his 200th game, 5-3 over Detroit
1951-07-10 - 18th All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 8-3 at Briggs Stadium, Detroit
1952-05-15 - Detroit Tiger Virgil Trucks no-hits Wash Senators, 1-0
1953-06-18 - Eugene Stephens is 1st to get 3 hits & Red Sox score 17 runs in 1 Inning (7th) Red Sox beat Detroit 23-3
1954-04-13 - Balt Orioles 1st game, loses to Tigers in Detroit 3-0
1955-07-26 - 37th PGA Championship: Doug Ford at Meadowbrook CC Detroit
1955-09-25 - Detroit outfielder Al Kaline, 20, is youngest batting champ
1955-10-03 - WTVS TV channel 56 in Detroit, MI (PBS) begins broadcasting
1956-06-20 - At Detroit's Briggs Stadium, Mickey Mantle hits 2 Billy Hoeft pitches into right center field bleachers (no else hits 1 there)
1958-08-13 - Indians' right fielder Rocky Colavito makes his pitching debut, hurling 3 hitless innings, Detroit 3, Cleveland 2
1958-08-20 - Detroit Tiger Jim Bunning no-hits Boston Red Sox, 3-0
1960-08-05 - Detroit trades mgr Jimmy Dykes for Cleve's mgr Joe Gordon
1960-09-10 - NY Yankee Mickey Mantle hits 643' HR over right field roof in Detroit
1962-01-30 - 2 members of Flying Wallendas' high-wire act killed when their 7-person pyramid collapsed during a performance in Detroit
1965-01-10 - WKBD TV channel 50 in Detroit, MI (IND) begins broadcasting
1966-07-17 - Indians set club record by hitting 7 HR in 15-2 win over Detroit
1966-10-06 - Partial meltdown at Detroits's Fermi 1 nuclear reactor
1967-07-08 - Helen Weston of Detroit rolls a record 4,585 in 24 games
1967-07-23 - -27] 43 die in race riot in Detroit (2,000 injured, 442 fires)
1967-07-24 - Race riots in Detroit force postponement of Tigers-Orioles game
1968-09-15 - WXON TV channel 20 in Detroit, MI (IND) begins broadcasting
1968-10-31 - Milwaukee Bucks win their 1st game beating Detroit 138-118 (6th game)
1968-11-01 - Detroit Tiger Denny McLain unanimously wins AL Cy Young Award
1969-06-22 - Aretha Franklin arrested in Detroit for creating a disturbance
1969-07-22 - Aretha Franklin arrested for disturbing peace in Detroit
1970-06-21 - Detroit's Cesar Gutierrez goes 7-for-7 to tie a record set in 1892
1971-07-13 - 42nd All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 6-4 at Tiger Stadium, Detroit
1972-08-05 - Detroit shortstop Ed Brinkman errors ends record streak of 72 games & 331 total chances without a miscue
1973-06-28 - Lawsuit in Detroit challenges Little League's "no girls" rule
1973-09-12 - 2 bettors win largest US Daily Double ($19,909.60 in Detroit)
1973-09-29 - Balt Orioles pull their 5th triple play (5-4-3 vs Detroit)
1973-11-06 - Coleman Young elected mayor of Detroit
1973-12-13 - World Football League grants 1st franchise (Detroit)
1974-06-05 - A's Reggie Jackson & Bill North engage in clubhouse fight at Detroit
1974-09-24 - Al Kaline, Detroit Tiger, is 12th to get 3,000 hits
1974-10-19 - Detroit Pistons beat Trailblazers in Portland (next win 6-1-90)
1975-07-30 - Teamsters Pres Jimmy Hoffa disappears in suburban Detroit
1975-09-29 - WGPR-TV Detroit, 1st Black-owned station in US, began broadcasting
1976-11-25 - OJ Simpson gains 273 yards for Buffalo vs Detroit
1979-05-30 - Pat Underwood makes his pitching debut for Detroit beats brother Tom
1980-03-01 - Patti Smith & MC5 guitarist Fred Sonic Smith wed in Detroit
1980-04-21 - Howard Stern begins broadcasting on WWWW Detroit Mich
Famous Birthdays
Results 1 - 100 of 129
1847-07-04 - James Anthony Bailey, Detroit, circus impresario (Barnum & Bailey)
1881-08-20 - Edgar Albert Guest, Detroit Mich, poet/newspaperman
1887-09-28 - Avery Brundage, Detroit Mich, CEO (Intl Olympic Committee, 1952-72)
1894-08-03 - Harry Heilmann, SF Cal, baseball hall of famer outfielder (Detroit)
1902-02-04 - Charles A Lindbergh, Detroit, pilot (1st fly solo across Atlantic)
1907-10-15 - John "Cardinal" Dearden, US cardinal (1969-88)/archbishop of Detroit
1911-01-01 - Hank Greenberg, Hall-of-Fame 1st baseman (Detroit Tiger)
1911-02-23 - G Mennen Williams, Detroit, Sup Court Justice/(Gov-D-Mich, 1949-60)
1914-09-24 - Herb Jeffries, Detroit Mich, actor (Where's Huddles)
1915-02-04 - William Talman, Detroit Mich, actor (Crashout, Hamilton-Perry Mason)
1915-04-10 - Harry Morgan, Detroit Mich, actor (December Bride, M*A*S*H, Dragnet)
1915-07-04 - Jimmie Rogers, Detroit Mich, singer (Sugar Hill Time)
1918-05-24 - Coleman A Young, civil rights leader (Mayor-D-Detroit)
1920-04-16 - John William Farr, Detroit, bank robber (FBI Most Wanted List)
1920-11-12 - Richard Quine, Detroit MI, actor/director (Clay Pigeon)
1920-11-14 - Johnny Desmond, Detroit Mich, singer (Your Hit Parade)
1922-01-30 - Dick Martin, Detroit Mich, actor/comedian (Laugh-In, Carbon Copy)
1923-03-06 - Ed McMahon, Detroit Mich, TV host (Johnny Carson Show, Star Search)
1924-07-22 - Margaret Whiting, Detroit, singer (Kreisler Bandstand, Strauss Family)
1924-12-06 - Wally Cox, Detroit, actor (Mr Peepers, Hollywood Squares)
1925-01-26 - Joan Leslie, Detroit, actress (High Sierra, Yankee Doodle Dandy)
1925-02-22 - Guy Mitchell, Detroit MI, actor (Red Garters, 3 Redheads from Seattle)
1925-05-19 - Malcolm X, [Little], [Detroit Red], Omaha NB, founder (Black Muslims)
1925-10-21 - Joyce Randolph, Detroit Mich, actress (Trixie-Honeymooners)
1925-11-27 - Michael Tolan, Detroit Mich, actor (Nurses, Senator)
1926-02-02 - Elaine Stritch, Detroit Mich, actress (My Sister Eileen, Company)
1926-04-05 - Roger Corman, Detroit, producer/director (Little Shop of Horrors)
1927-02-27 - Guy Mitchell, [Al Cernick], Detroit Mich, rocker/actor (Red Garters)
1927-08-17 - Robert Moore, Detroit Mich, actor (Marshall-Diana)
1927-12-28 - Martin Milner, Detroit Mich, actor (Route 66, Adam 12, Life of Riley)
1928-10-01 - George Peppard, Detroit Mich, actor (Banacek, A-Team, Blue Max)
1929-04-19 - Edward Crook, Detroit Mich, middleweight boxer (Olympic-gold-1960)
1929-11-28 - Berry Gordy Jr, Detroit, record company owner (Motown)
1930-02-10 - Robert Wagner, Detroit Mich, actor (It Takes a Thief, Hart to Hart)
1932-01-04 - Richard Stahl, Detroit Mich, actor (Howard-It's a Living)
1932-01-22 - Piper Laurie, [Rosetta Jacobs], Detroit Mich, actress (Twin Peaks)
1932-03-21 - Joseph Silverstein, Detroit Mich, violinist (Denver Symphony Orch)
1932-04-27 - Casey Kasem, Detroit Mich, radio personality (American Top 40)
1932-07-06 - Della Reese, Detroit, singer/actress (Della Reese Show, Royal Family)
1932-12-07 - Ellen Burstyn, Detroit, actress (Exorcist, Alice Doesn't Live Here)
1933-08-25 - Tom Skerritt, Detroit Mich, actor (Ryan's Four, Alien, Big Bad Mama)
1934-02-18 - Aldo Ceccato, Milan Italy, conductor (Detroit Symph Orch 1973-77)
1934-06-09 - Jackie Wilson, Detroit, singer (Lonely Teardrops, Night)
1935-01-22 - Seymour Cassel, Detroit, actor (Faces, Plain Clothes, Valentino)
1935-02-16 - Sonny Bono, Detroit, vocalist (Sonny & Cher)/(Rep-R-Ca, 1995-98)
1935-04-07 - Bobby Bare, Irontown Oh, country singer (Detroit City)
1935-12-26 - Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Detroit MI, rock vocalist (Four Tops)
1936-11-18 - Hank Ballard, Detroit, rocker (The Twist (pre Chubby Checker)
1937-03-06 - Ivan Boesky, Detroit, stockbroker inside trading
1937-11-21 - Marlo Thomas, [Mrs Phil Donahue], Detroit Mich (That Girl!, Jenny)
1938-04-03 - Philippe Wynne, US soul singer (Detroit Spinners, Ghetto Child)
1939-04-07 - Francis Ford Coppola, Detroit, director (Godfather, Apocalypse Now)
1939-09-01 - Lily Tomlin, Detroit, comedienne/actress (9 to 5, Laugh-in, All of Me)
1939-09-13 - Richard Kiel, Detroit Mich, actor (So Fine, Jaws-Moonraker, Skidoo)
1939-11-19 - Pete Moore, Detroit MI, rocker (Miracles)
1940-07-19 - Dennis Cole, Detroit, actor (Felony Squad, Brackens's World)
1940-09-12 - Mickey Lolich, pitcher (Detroit Tiger, won 25 in 1971)
1941-02-05 - Barrett Strong, Detroit, vocalist (Money, That's What I Want)
1941-04-05 - Michael Moriarty, Detroit, actor (Bang the Drum Slowly, Q, Stuff)
1941-06-16 - Lamont Dozier, Detroit, songwriter (Dozier-Holland-Dozier)
1941-07-18 - Martha Reeves, Detroit Mich, singer (& Vandellas-Dancing in St)
1942-10-05 - Richard Street, Detroit Mi, rocker (Temptations)
1943-04-05 - Max Gail, Detroit, (Barney Miller, Whiz Kids, DC Cab, Normal People)
1943-05-13 - Mary Wells, Detroit, singer (My Guy)
1943-06-30 - Florence Ballard, Detroit Mich, rocker (Supremes)
1943-07-18 - Calvin Peete, Detroit MI, PGA golfer (1979 Greater Milwaukee Open)
1943-07-27 - Stu Gilliam, Detroit, actor/comedian (Roll Out, Harris & Company)
1943-08-02 - Max Wright, Detroit, actor (Buffalo Bill, Alf, Misfits of Science)
1943-09-02 - Rosalind Ashford, Detroit, rock vocalist (Martha Reeve & Vandellas)
1944-03-06 - Mary Wilson, Detroit Mich, vocalist (Supremes-Where Did Our Love Go)
1944-03-26 - Diana Ross, [Earle], Detroit, (Supremes, Lady Sings Blues, Mahogany)
1944-07-12 - Denise Nicholas, Detroit Mich, actress (Room 222, Baby I'm Back)
1944-08-24 - Gregory Bruce Jarvis, Detroit Mich, astronaut (STS 25)
1944-09-16 - Betty Kelly, Detroit, rocker (Martha Reeves & Vandellas)
1945-01-29 - Donna Marie Caponi Young, Detroit, LPGA golfer (US Open 1969, 70)
1945-01-29 - Tom Selleck, Detroit Mich, actor (Lance-Rockford Files, Magnum PI)
1945-02-26 - Mitch Ryder, rocker (& Detroit Wheels-Devil With the Blue Dress)
1945-03-19 - Lisa Nicole Baker, Detroit TX, playmate of the year (Nov 1966)
1945-09-19 - Freda Payne, Detroit Mich, vocalist (Band of Gold)
1946-06-28 - Gilda Radner, Detroit Mich, actress (SNL, Haunted Honeymoon)
1946-12-14 - Joyce Vincent Wilson, Detroit Mich, singer (Tony Orlando & Dawn)
1947-02-03 - Joe Coleman, baseball pitcher (Washington, Detroit)
1947-07-10 - Jeff Hanna, Detroit, country singer (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) [or 8/11]
1948-02-04 - Alice Cooper, [Vincent Furnier], Detroit, rocker (School's Out)
1948-10-16 - Michael Tylo, Detroit, actor (Guiding Light, Blade-Young & Restless)
1948-11-06 - Glenn Frey, Detroit Mich, rock vocalist (Eagles-Take it Easy)
1948-12-13 - Ted Nugent, Detroit, guitarist (Cat Scratch Fever, Damn Yankees)
1949-05-18 - Stuart Gannes, Detroit Mich, writer (Fortune)
1949-07-16 - Cyndy Garvey, Detroit, wife of Steve Garvey, talk show host (AM LA)
1949-08-26 - John Baldwin, Detroit, light middleweight boxer (Olympic-bronze-1968)
1950-04-04 - Christine Lahti, Detroit, actress (Harvey Korman Show, Swing Shift)
1950-06-03 - Suzi Quatro[cchio], Detroit, singer (Stumblin')/actress (Happy Days)
1951-03-20 - Tanya Boyd, Detroit Mich, actress (Celeste-Days of our Life)
1951-04-10 - Steven Seagal, Detroit MI, actor (Above the Law, Hard to Kill)
1951-07-07 - Roz Ryan, Detroit Mich, actress (Amelia-Amen, Occupied)
1951-07-27 - Janet Eilber, Detroit Mich, actress (Hard to Hold, Romantic Comedy)
1951-10-18 - Pam Dawber, Detroit, actress (Mindy-Mork & Mindy, My Sister Sam)
1952-11-25 - Ernest Harden Jr, Detroit Mich, actor (Marcus-Jeffersons)
1954-05-01 - Ray Parker Jr, Detroit Mich, rock guitarist/vocalist (Ghostbusters)
1954-10-15 - Kip Byrne, Detroit Mich, Canadian Tour golfer (Mich State Jr-1970-71)
Famous Deaths
Results 1 - 7 of 7
1812-10-13 - Isaac Brock, English general (conquered Detroit), dies in battle
1926-10-31 - Harry Houdini, [Erich Weisz], US magician, dies in Detroit
1971-10-24 - Chuck Hughes, Detroit Lion collapses during game & later, dies
1982-02-18 - Tina Carver, actress (Inside Detroit, Uranium Boom), dies at 58
1988-02-02 - G Mennen Williams, Supreme Court justice, dies at 76 in Detroit
1992-01-14 - Hari Rhodes, actor (Earth II, Detroit 9000), dies at 59
1995-08-16 - John Priestly McCartjy, detroit DJ, dies at 62
