Events

The Twenty-Fourth Michigan Infantry regiment of the Iron Brigade engaged advancing Confederate forces at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on this day in 1863. In savage fighting, the Twenty-fourth Infantry lost 363 of 496 men on the just the first day of the three-day Battle of Gettysburg.

The one millionth Chevrolet Corvette, a white LT1 roadster with a red interior and a black roof, the same colors as the original 1953 version, rolled off the assembly line on this day in 1992.

On this day in 1985, the blockbuster action-comedy, Back to the Future, was released in theaters across the United States. It starred Michael J. Fox and Detroiter John DeLorean’s iconic concept car, which was memorably transformed into a time-travel device.

As the Confederate cavalry force, led by Jeb Stuart, withdrew from the battlefield at Gettysburg, the Fifth and Sixth Michigan Cavalry, led by Brigadier General Russell A. Alger, captured his supply wagons and 1500 Confederate prisoners on this day in 1863.

The Supremes finished recording "You Can't Hurry Love" for the Motown label on this day in 1966. The song quickly topped the United States Billboard pop singles chart, made the UK top 5, and even the top 10 on the Australian Singles Chart.

Prevoiusly known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium, Tiger Stadium, the legendary ballpark on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull, welcomed its 100 millionth fan on this day in 1994.

Michigan Governor William A. Comstock signed the Old Age Assistance Act on this date in 1933. It meant that individuals over 70 who had lived in the state for at least 10 years could receive a pension of $30 per month. This pre-dated the federal Social Security Act by about two years.

President Gerald R. Ford, formerly of Grand Rapids, Michigan, announced on this day in 1975, that he would seek the Republican nomination for the presidency. He would lose his bid to movie actor and California governor, Ronald Reagan.

On this day in 2016, Saginaw, Michigan native, Serena Williams defeated Angelique Kerber to win Wimbledon. With this feat Williams tied Steffi Graf's record of 22, for the most Grand Slam victories. She would become the sole record-holder with a victory in the Australian Open the following year.

The Grand Hotel with the world's longest wooden porch, opened on Mackinac Island on this day in 1887. The magificant luxury resort only took 93 days to complete. Nightly rates when it opened ranged from $3-$5.

On this day in 1796, Captain Moses Porter led sixty five American troops into Detroit, and hoisted the United States flag over the city for the first time. The British had not given up control of Michigan, until that day, as agreed to in the Jay Treaty.

After a delay of an hour and 16 minutes, the White Sox were forced to forfeit the second game of a doubleheader against the Tigers when over 5000 fans refused to leave the field during Disco Demolition Night on this day in 1979. The promotion involved admitting fans for 98 cents with a disco record, collecting the

The Michigan Militia, led by territorial governor William Hull, crossed the Detroit River to invade Canada on this day in 1812. However, Hull quickly withdrew to the American side of the river after hearing the news of the British capture of Fort Mackinac. A month later he would surrender Fort Detroit to British General Issac Brock

On this day in 1978, Ford Motor Company chairman Henry Ford II fired Lee Iacocca as Ford’s president. News of the firing shocked the industry, but it turned into a positive turn for Iacocca. The following year, he was hired as president of the Chrysler Corporation, and is credited with leading the company back from the brink

Joe Louis Arena in Detroit was host to the 32nd Republican National Convention, which opened on this day in 1980. Ronald Reagan was nominated for president, and took the unprecedented step of announcing his VP choice from the podium of the convention himself. He chose George H. W. Bush, over rumored running mate, Michigan's Gerald R. Ford.

On this day in 1903, the newly formed Ford Motor Company took its first order from Chicago dentist Ernst Pfenning for an $850 two-cylinder Model A automobile with a tonneau, which was a backseat. The car, produced at Ford’s plant on what is now known as Mack Avenue in Detroit, was delivered to Dr. Pfenning just over a week

On this day in 1956 the Detroit Tigers and Briggs Stadium were sold to a syndicate of 11 people, led by radio executives John Fetzer and Fred Knorr, for a record $5.5 million. Walter Briggs, Jr., had been ordered by family estate administrators to sell the ownership of the team and field that he had inherited from

Just a few months before Tiger Stadium offically closed, The Three Tenors sang before a crowd of more than 31,000 there on this day in 1999. The world famous opera trio, comprised of Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, gave one of the most memorable concert performances in Detroit history.

In the summer of 1812, war descended upon serene Mackinac Island, as a combined force of British, Canadian, and Native American soldiers captured Fort Mackinac from a small, unsuspecting American garrison in one of the first engagements of the War of 1812. The British retained control of the fort until this day in 1815.

At the invitation of Henry Ford, George Washington Carver arrived in Dearborn on this day in 1942. He set up a laboratory in an old water works building. He and Ford experimented with different crops, including sweet potatoes and dandelions, eventually devising a way to make a rubber substitute from goldenrod, a plant weed.

In the first game of a double-header, Detroit hurler, Jim Bunning, pitched a no hitter on this day in 1958. He ended the game by getting the legendary Ted Williams to fly out, securing a 3-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox. He would go on to pitch a perfect game later in his career, before becoming

Famed author, Ernest Hemingway was born on this day in 1899. Though he is technically not a native of Michigan, he spent his first twenty two summers at his family's home on Walloon Lake. It is widely believed that the time the writer spent in northern Michigan had a seismic effect on his future work.

Ty Cobb stole three bases in one inning when the first-place Tigers beat the Red Sox, 6-0 at Boston's Huntington Avenue Grounds on this day in 1909. The 22 year-old "Georgia Peach" would go on to lead the the major leagues with 73 stolen bases that season.

Today marks the start of the 1967 Detroit Riots, which were among the most violent and destructive riots in U.S. history. By the time the bloodshed, burning and looting ended after five days, 43 people were dead, 342 injured, nearly 1,400 buildings had been burned and some 7,000 National Guard and U.S. Army troops had been called

On this day in 1932, world-renoun Mexcian artist, Diego Rivera, began work on his now famous industrial murals at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The iconic paintings depict American workers in the automotive industry.

The U.S. 500 car race dissolved into tragedy on this day in 1998, when three fans were killed and six others wounded by flying debris from a single car crash at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan.

On this day in 1968, Denny McLain earned his 20th victory of the season by blanking Baltimore at Memorial Stadium, 9-0. The Tigers would go on to win the World Series that year, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 in Game 7.

Following its ratification by the necessary three-quarters of U.S. states, including Michigan, the 14th Amendment, guaranteeing to African Americans citizenship and all its privileges, was officially adopted into the U.S. Constitution on this day in 1868.

On this day in 1909, the newly formed General Motors Corporation acquired the country’s leading luxury automaker, the Cadillac Automobile Company, for $4.5 million. That would be nearly $27 million by today's standards.

Industrialist Henry Ford was born in Greenfield Township, Michigan on this day in 1863. He would go on to form the Ford Motor Company, and is credited with revolutionizing factory operations by developing the assembly line technique for mass production.

Jimmy Hoffa’s green Pontiac Grand Ville was found, unlocked, in the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox Restaurant in Bloomfield Township on this day in 1975. Hoffa, one of the most influential American labor leaders of the 20th century, had been last seen standing outside the restaurant the day before. Though he is popularly believed to

The Detroit Zoological Park, with its revolutionary barless exhibits, opened on this day in 1928. Exhibits included bear dens, lion dens, a bird house, elk yard, raccoon and wolverine habitats, an African veldt, and completely stocked lakes.