All eventsConcerts, festivals and markets, tonight and this weekend
Annual festivalsJazz, techno, cars and parades: Michigan’s year, festival by festival
Holidays & seasonsPumpkin season, Halloween, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, the Fourth
Sports: games & scoresLions, Red Wings, Pistons, Tigers: live scores and trophies
ItinerariesReady-made day plans, stop by stop
Places to exploreMuseums, parks, neighborhoods and icons
Free museum daysFlip the calendar: when museums let you in for free
Metro Detroit mapWhat Metro Detroit is, and what every town is about
The Henry FordRosa Parks’ bus, Greenfield Village and the Ford Rouge Factory
RenCen: live trackerThe Renaissance Center’s past, present and future, up to the minute
Gordie Howe BridgeThe new bridge to Canada: live waits, tolls, and yes, you can walk it
ToursBy boat, by bike or on foot, with a local guide
Escape roomsOne hour, one lock and your crew
Plan a meetingVenues, hotels and what’s on in town on your dates
Detroit A–ZFrom limos to chambers of commerce: every business and service in one place
ShoppingDetroit-made brands, markets and shopping streets
Detroit with kidsZoo, science center and rainy-day ideas
Motor City cultureFactories, museums and car events
Wellness & rechargeA riverside sauna, spas, yoga and running trails
My tripYour flights, your events, day by day, with an itemized budget in dollars and your own currency
Plan your tripWhen to come, how to get here, where to sleep: all in one place
Weather & seasonsWhat it’s like right now and month by month
Coming from abroad?Entry, money, phones, power, Canada: what you need to know
TransitBuses, trains and ferries with live departures
Driving in MichiganLicenses, rental cars, the rules and the yellow school bus
Lanes and left exitsKeep right? Here people pass on the right and exit on the left
Road work and potholesOrange barrels, detours, 45 mph: driving Michigan’s work zones
Mile roads: mile zero and 8 MileWhere the city counts from, and which Mile you’re standing on
People MoverThe free elevated loop above downtown
QLINE streetcarThe free streetcar on Woodward Avenue
DTW airportRed or blue terminal? We’ll show you.Your license in MichiganRental carsSpeed limitsMiles, gallons, MPGThe Michigan left and the rulesSchool busesTraffic lights, a Detroit inventionPulled over by policeDrinking and drivingWinter drivingWildlife on the roadGas and parking
DETROIT / A living lexicon / ¼
People who were born here, moved here or built their careers in Detroit: musicians, carmakers, athletes, writers, inventors, civil-rights leaders and a few notorious names. With their dates, their Detroit story and the places where they lived, worked and played, closed ones included.
Hungarian ties 31 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Origin and citizenship
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
186 people · 4/4 page
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Auto industry · 1864–1936
Henry B. Joypresident of the Packard Motor Car Company, Lincoln Highway promoterDetroit railroad heir who brought Packard to the city, commissioned Albert Kahn's giant plant on East Grand Boulevard and championed the Lincoln Highway.
Politics · 1899–1970Thaddeus M. Machrowiczlawyer, judge, congressmanPolish-born lawyer who rose from Hamtramck city attorney and judge to represent the Detroit area in Congress for a decade, then served as a federal judge in Detroit.Naomi Long Madgettpoet, publisher, teacherPoet laureate of Detroit from 2001 and founder of Lotus Press (1972), which published generations of Black poets from Detroit.
Press & broadcasting · 1933–1995J. P. McCarthyradio host, interviewerWJR's morning man for more than three decades, whose Focus interviews and easy wit made him the most listened-to voice in Detroit radio until his death in 1995.
Law · 1920–1987Wade H. McCreejudge, U.S. solicitor general, law professorHarvard-trained lawyer who made his career in Detroit, becoming the first Black judge on the Wayne County Circuit Court and the Sixth Circuit, then U.S. solicitor general.
Politics · 1858–1912William Richertgrocer, council president, acting mayor of DetroitGerman-born grocer and liquor wholesaler who, as council president, served two weeks as acting mayor in 1897 after Hazen Pingree became governor.James Stinsonelectronic musician, producerEast-side Detroit producer who co-founded the Afrofuturist electro duo Drexciya and recorded the cult album Lifestyles of the Laptop Café.
Notorious figures · 1897–1972William Toccofounding member of the Detroit PartnershipSicilian-born bootlegger known as Black Bill who co-founded the Detroit Mafia with his brother-in-law Joseph Zerilli and lived for decades in Grosse Pointe Park.Baby Boy Warrenblues singer, guitaristMemphis-raised guitarist and singer who worked at General Motors and became a leading figure of the 1950s Detroit blues scene.Philippé WynnesingerCincinnati-born lead voice of the Spinners' 1970s hits "How Could I Let You Get Away" and "The Rubberband Man", who began singing gospel in Detroit.
Military · 1917–1944Raymond Zussmansoldier, Medal of Honor recipientHamtramck-born Jewish tank officer who received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a French village in September 1944; a park in front of Hamtramck City Hall bears his name.Darrell BankssingerSoul singer whose "Open the Door to Your Heart" (1966) on the Detroit label Revilot became a hit and a northern soul treasure; he was killed in Detroit in 1970.
Music · 1938–2024Henry FambroughsingerFounding baritone of the Spinners, who sang with the group for 69 years, from its 1954 start in Ferndale until 2023.
Business & brands · 1833–1907Dexter M. Ferryseed merchant, founder of D. M. Ferry & Co.Detroit merchant whose D. M. Ferry & Co. became the world's largest seed company, selling fresh seed in small paper packets across America.
Visual art · 1908–1998Marshall FrederickssculptorSculptor of The Spirit of Detroit, the city's best-loved statue, who lived and worked in the Birmingham area for more than sixty years.
Music · 1867–1922E. Azalia Hackleyconcert soprano, choral director, educator, activistDetroit-raised concert soprano and 'race musical missionary' who promoted music education for Black Americans; Detroit Public Library's Hackley Collection bears her name.Bobo Jenkinsblues guitarist, singer, songwriter, label ownerAlabama-born bluesman who worked 27 years at Chrysler, recorded "Democrat Blues" for Chess, ran his own Detroit label and launched the first Detroit Blues Festival.
Politics · 1786–1859Jonathan Kearsleyarmy officer, federal land official, mayor of DetroitWar of 1812 veteran who lost a leg at Chippawa, came to Detroit in 1819 as the federal receiver of public money and was twice mayor (1826 and 1829).Johnnie Mae Matthewssinger, songwriter, producer, label owner"Godmother of Detroit Soul", the first African American woman to own and run a record label, whose Northern Recording Company launched the Distants and Bettye LaVette.
Sports · 1871–1935Frank Navinpresident and owner of the Detroit TigersInsurance bookkeeper who became the Tigers' president for 27 years, signed Ty Cobb and built Navin Field at Michigan and Trumbull.
Science & invention · 1797–1872Zina Pitcherphysician, botanist, mayor of DetroitArmy surgeon and botanist who settled in Detroit, served twice as mayor (1840–1841 and 1843), helped build the University of Michigan and presided over the American Medical Association.Turkey Stearnesbaseball player, center fielderHall of Fame slugger of the Negro-league Detroit Stars who made Detroit his home for more than fifty years; Hamtramck Stadium's field bears his name.
Politics · 1894–1967Charles Diggs Sr.funeral director, state senatorMississippi-born Detroit funeral-home owner and Garveyite who became the first African American Democrat in the Michigan Senate (1937–1944) and wrote the state's civil rights law.
Business & brands · 1866–1970Anna Thompson Dodgephilanthropist, heiress of Dodge BrothersScottish-born widow of Horace Dodge, one of the richest women in the world, who backed the DSO and paid for the Dodge fountain in Hart Plaza.
Military · 1756–1803Jean François HamtramckUS Army officer, first American commander of DetroitMontreal-born Revolutionary War officer who took over Detroit from the British in July 1796 and commanded it until his death; the city of Hamtramck bears his name.
Business & brands · 1846–1912
J. L. Hudsonmerchant, founder of the J. L. Hudson department storeEnglish-born merchant who founded Hudson's, Detroit's legendary Woodward Avenue department store, and bankrolled the Hudson Motor Car Company.
Music · 1938–2008Pervis Jacksonbass singerFounding bass singer and spokesman of the Spinners, famous for the "12:45" line in "Games People Play".
Religion · 1907–1971Prophet Jonespastor, televangelist and faith healerFlamboyant preacher who founded the Church of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God, in Detroit and became the first Black preacher in the city with a weekly TV show.
Science & invention · 1876–1954Evangeline Lodge Land Lindberghchemistry teacherDetroit-born chemistry teacher at Cass Technical High School for two decades, best known as the mother of the aviator Charles Lindbergh.Martha Jean Steinbergradio broadcaster, station owner, minister"The Queen" of Detroit soul radio on WCHB and WJLB, who pleaded for calm on air during the 1967 uprising and later bought her own gospel station, WQBH.Richard "Popcorn" Wyliepianist, bandleader, songwriter, producerDetroit pianist whose high-school band Popcorn and the Mohawks fed Motown's studio, who played on "Shop Around" and later produced northern soul classics.
Business & brands · 1855–1937Hamilton Carharttclothing manufacturer, founder of CarharttFounder of the workwear brand Carhartt, started in Detroit in 1889 to make tough overalls for railroad workers.George DeBaptisteUnderground Railroad conductor, entrepreneurBarber, caterer and steamboat owner who led Detroit's Underground Railroad from 1846, ferrying freedom seekers across the river to Canada.
City history · 1786–1866Lisette Denison Forthformerly enslaved landowner and philanthropistBorn enslaved near Detroit, she won her freedom, became one of the region's first Black property owners and left her savings to build a church on Grosse Ile.
Earle Graserradio actorDetroit-raised Wayne University graduate who was the voice of the Lone Ranger on WXYZ from 1933 until his death in a Farmington car crash in 1941.
Civil rights & activism · 1817–1890William Lambertabolitionist, Underground Railroad leaderFree-born tailor and abolitionist who for half a century helped lead Detroit's Underground Railroad and its Black community.Sylvester Pottssinger, songwriterDetroit singer and songwriter who recorded for Fortune Records with the Hi-Fidelities and was a longtime member of the Contours.
Bernhard Strohbrewer, founder of the Stroh BreweryGerman brewer from Kirn who founded the Lion's Head Brewery in Detroit in 1850, the start of the Stroh Brewery that brewed in the city for 135 years.
Auto industry · 1888–1961Lawrence P. Fisherpresident of Cadillac, Fisher Body co-ownerThe Fisher brother who ran Cadillac and discovered designer Harley Earl, bringing him to Detroit to style the 1927 LaSalle.George Pierrottravel-film host, editor, lecture impresarioGravel-voiced host who brought the world to Detroit through the DIA's World Adventure Series and the TV travelogue George Pierrot Presents.Sunnie Wilsonnightclub and hotel owner, promoterParadise Valley businessman and one of its first unofficial mayors, who ran the giant Forest Club and the Mark Twain Hotel and was Joe Louis's close friend and partner.The lexicon keeps growing. Every entry lists its sources at the bottom. Dates were checked against Wikidata and Wikipedia. The texts are our own. Famous people's places among the sights ↗
