Mar. 20, 1960: Civil rights icon Dr. Ossian Sweet dies of apparent suicide
Sweet was best known for being a victim of a racially-charged ambush in September 1925.
Mar. 6, 1863: Race riot breaks out, killing at least 2 and injuring dozens
Occurring during the days of the American Civil War, the set of disturbances will be reported by the Detroit Free Press as “the bloodiest day that ever dawned upon Detroit.”
Mar. 4, 1963: Garfield Hotel is destroyed in a five-alarm fire
On this day in 1963, an inferno overtakes the Garfield Hotel killing two people during a spectacular five-alarm blaze.buy ventolin online https://www.calmandgentledentalcare.co.uk/wp-content/languages/new/uk/ventolin.html no prescription The two-story structure, located in the heart of the popular African-American entertainment district called Paradise Valley, is virtually destroyed. The victims are 65-year-old William Ellis and 29-year-old Mildred Harris. The Garfield is […]
Feb. 19, 1940: Motown legend Smokey Robinson born in Detroit
Reared on the city’s north end, he will attend Northern High School before meeting Berry Gordy, Jr. and joining Motown Records in 1959.
Feb. 17, 1906: Noted entrepreneur and pharmacist Sidney Barthwell born in Georgia
On this day in 1906, Sidney Barthwell is born in Georgia. He will migrate to Detroit at age 14 and attend Cass Technical High School and Detroit Technological Institute (the forerunner of Wayne State’s College of Pharmacy), graduating with a degree in pharmacy. An ambitious entrepreneur, he will open Barthwell Drugs during the 1930s in the midst of the […]
Feb. 14, 1953: Detroit Free Press hires first black editorial staff member
George will work primarily as a music critic for the newspaper.
Feb. 13, 1922: Detroit’s first black public school teacher dies
Richards taught at Everett Elementary School for 44 years. It was there that she established the first kindergarten in Michigan.
Feb. 12, 1964: Fashion designer Tracy Reese born in Detroit
A mainstay in the fashion industry, First Lady Michelle Obama will wear one of her dress designs during the 2012 Democratic National Convention,
Feb. 11, 1991: Dave Bing inducted into Sports Hall of Fame
Bing played shooting guard for 12 National Basketball Association seasons, nine of them with the Pistons. A seven-time All-Star, he maintained a career average of more than 20 points a game
Feb. 10, 2006: Legendary Detroit producer J. Dilla dies
On this day in 2006, celebrated hip hop producer and city native J Dilla joins the ancestors after a long illness believed to have been lupus. He was only 32. Born James Dewitt Yancey, he produced tracks for a who’s who of artists including: Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Common, Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde, and Erykah […]