Detroit Factoids – City of the Week
Congratulations to Detroit,
You’re the WCSX City of the Week!
Detroit Factoids:
- Le Detroit, means “The Straight” in French.
- The largest United States Flag ever made (235 x 104 feet) was hung from the side of the Hudson’s building on Flag Day each year until it was donated to the Smithsonian Museum in 1976.
- Corktown is the oldest existing neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan, though it is only half as old as the city itself. In the 1840’s, the Irish Potato Famine led to a huge Irish migration. By the early 1850’s, half of the 8th Ward’s (including Corktown) population were of Irish decent. Many were from Cork County, thus the naming of Corktown.
- Henry Ford test-drove his first ever automobile in 1896 on the streets of Detroit. Ford established the Detroit Motor Company which lasted three years and made only two cars. In 1903, The Ford Motor Company opened its doors in Detroit for manufacturing. It was Detroit’s second, behind the Olds Motor Works that opened in 1899.
- Detroit was first settled by in 1701 by Frenchman Antoine de la moth Cadillac. Fort Detroit was under French control until 1760 when it surrendered to the British.
- After a devastating fire in 1805, Augustus B. Woodward redesigned Detroit’s street plan after Washington DC’s. Monumental avenues and traffic circles fanned out from Campus Martius. This city plan was designed to be confusing as a method of defense. Invaders would have a tough time navigating the streets, giving advantage to those who lived there.
- Devil’s Night: The practice of pranking (soaping windows, etc) started in the 1930’s, but it turned very serious for Detroit in the 1980’s. On October 30th, 1984, more than 800 fires were set. Vacant homes were set on Fire overwhelming the fire department. The number sharply decreased after thousands of vacant homes were razed. Detroit mobilized “Angels Night” as thousands of volunteers patrolled high risk areas up until 2017 at the recommendation of the Detroit Police Department.
- Detroit is home to the largest annual sit down dinner in the world with the NAACP Dinner held each year at Cobo Cen…eh, make that : The TCF Center.
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