By Michael Hodges / The Detroit News Has there ever been a more seductive view of the future? The 1930s might have been a time of global depression, but that didn’t stop the design industry in its optimistic rush toward that more abundant life just around the corner. This glittering vision, in all its elegance … Continue Reading →
Eighty years ago, the Detroit Institute of Arts debuted “Detroit Industry,” the monumental murals by Diego Rivera that he intended to be a tribute to Michigan’s innovative technology.
The California Gold Rush began in the spring of 1848 at Sutter’s Mill off the South Fork River, northeast of Sacramento. A carpenter named James Marshall was overseeing the construction of a water-powered sawmill when he spotted “something shining in the ditch.” After some crude tests, he became convinced that what he held was real … Continue Reading →
Waiting for a haircut in the 1960s, Gene Zorn read a magazine story about the 1932 Lindbergh kidnapping that stirred a childhood memory. Had Zorn grown up with someone involved in the abduction? The thought nagged him for the rest of his life so, before his death in 2006, his son vowed to look into … Continue Reading →
The holiday tradition in Michigan started in 1824, when the turkeys were wild and small and the day started with church services By Bill Loomis / Special to The Detroit News If you had the opportunity to invite your great-great-grandmother over for Thanksgiving dinner, it’s likely she would feel right at home with what you … Continue Reading →
By Bill Loomis / Special to The Detroit News In a way, it’s good that almost nobody knows much about the War of 1812. Detroit played a significant role, and it was not the city’s finest hour. Poor leadership, outnumbered and inexperienced troops, limited supplies, a fierce cannon bombardment and the imminent threat of an … Continue Reading →
Detroit — On June 11, 1982, Detroiter Robert Harrington, incensed over an insurance dispute, burst into a law office in the Buhl Building with a shotgun, pistol and jar of gasoline. He shot to death Eve August, a promising 24-year-old law clerk intern, and his actions injured — some critically — 38 others in what … Continue Reading →
By Larry Jeddeloh / Special to The Detroit News Detroit has taken on many nicknames including Motown, The Motor City, Hockeytown, Rock City or just simply “The D.” While we are proud of our automotive heritage and music history, there are lesser-known facts about Detroit. Here we will explore six facts every Detroiter, historian or … Continue Reading →
By Bryce Hoffman / The Detroit News Saturday, May 26, 2012 marks the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Overpass, the infamous encounter between leaders of a young United Auto Workers and Ford Motor Co. security men on a footbridge over Miller Road outside the company’s River Rouge complex. It would prove a defining … Continue Reading →
By Holly Fournier / The Detroit News Detroiter Fred Quick feared his wife and two daughters had died aboard the Titanic. Almost 100 years later, his granddaughter recalled hearing stories of that fateful night when Jane Quick, 32, Winifred, 8, and Phyllis, 4, survived the tragedy on the “unsinkable” ship that foundered April 15, 1912, … Continue Reading →