As the world was becoming engulfed in war in 1940, The Ford Motor Co. pitched in and helped establish the United States Naval Service Training School at the Rouge plant in Dearborn. By the time the school closed in May of 1946 it had trained more than 22,000 young sailors to repair engines, both diesel … Continue Reading →
A view down the suspension cables toward Sandwich, Ontario, during construction of the Ambassador Bridge in 1929. For the past 67 years, the Ambassador Bridge has served as a graceful link between Detroit and its neighbor, Windsor, Ontario, and as a weathered monument to the friendship and cooperation of two great nations. But the bridge … Continue Reading →
The Detroit News Archives Detroiters wait to purchase fish from The Detroit News’ fish train at the Michigan Central Depot in October, 1919. The Detroit News has long been known for its involvement in the community. Nothing makes this clearer than two campaigns early in the last century that helped bring down the cost of … Continue Reading →
GAC’s second airplane in November 1916, a two place pusher float plane designed for the military. Designer Alfred Verville sits in the front observer/gunner seat, test pilot J. D. Smith in the rear. As early as 1910 the city of Detroit sought to be a leader in the development and production of airplanes. A number … Continue Reading →
This 1886 photo shows Ransom E. Olds in the Olds “Pirate,” the first race car to run on Daytona Beach. It hit speeds of 57 mph. Olds would be the first auto manufacturer in Detroit, beginning in 1896. Of the several thousand auto manufacturers who have operated in theUnited States, only three remain. But many … Continue Reading →
In 1936 a streamlined Grand Trunk steam engine sits alongside a tiny steam locomotive from 100 years earlier. Michiganians embraced railroads from the first horse-drawn car on the tracks of the Erie & Kalamazoo Railroad in 1836 through the train’s turn of the century heyday. It was not until the introduction of the automobile that … Continue Reading →
The dawn of the 20th century was an exciting time for William E. Scripps, son of The Detroit News founder James E. Scripps. Young Scripps was fascinated by the scientific discoveries of inventors like Thomas Edison and Guglielmo Marconi. The Detroit News used this fleet of chartered airplanes to deliver newspapers to vacationers in northern … Continue Reading →
The J.L. Hudson Co.’s Woodward Ave. store not long after it opened in 1911. In 1881 Joseph Lowthian Hudson, then 35, opened his first store in Detroit — a mens’ and boys’ clothing store — in the old Detroit Opera House Building on Campus Martius in direct competition with his former employer, C.R. Mabley. … Continue Reading →
A 1900 Curved-Dash Olds with William Ashcroft at the tiller. This poster was produced for the 30th anniversary of the Oldsmobile and reproduces the minutes from the first directors meeting Aug. 21, 1897. It reads: “It was moved by Mr. Stebbins that R. E. Olds be elected manager for the coming 11 months. Carried. It … Continue Reading →
The Detroit would travel 6,000 miles across the ocean in 1912 to make a point about the safety of marine travel. B The Titanic disaster in the north Atlantic in Feburary of 1912 stunned the world. A ship so great seemed to make the ocean seem small, no big deal to cross, especially by such a … Continue Reading →