Detroit

On July 24, 1701, the French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded Detroit as Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit. Cadillac named the area 'le détroit du Lac Érié', meaning 'the strait of Lake Erie', which describes its location on the Detroit River linking Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair. The city was originally established as a center for the fur trade and played a significant role in the French colonization of the Great Lakes region.

On November 29, 1760, the British took control of Detroit as part of the aftermath of the French and Indian War. Major Robert Rogers and his men arrived to take the fort from the French, marking a significant shift in the control of the region from French to British hands. This transfer was part of the larger Treaty of Paris in 1763, which ended the war and ceded French territories in North America to the British.

The Great Fire of 1805 occurred on June 11, 1805, devastating the small settlement of Detroit. The fire was said to have started from a spark from a pipe igniting a barn. It destroyed almost all the buildings in the city. After the fire, Judge Augustus Woodward developed Detroit's unique street layout, inspired by L'Enfant's plans for Washington, D.C., which laid the foundation for modern Detroit.

On August 16, 1812, during the War of 1812, American General William Hull surrendered Detroit to British forces under Major General Isaac Brock and Native American leader Tecumseh. The surrender was precipitated by the British and Native forces using psychological tactics to make their forces appear larger, alongside the fear caused by Tecumseh's reputation. The surrender was considered a disgrace by Hull's fellow Americans.

The Detroit Race Riot of 1863 occurred on March 6, during a time of racial tension in the northern United States, amid the American Civil War. The riot started when a large mob of white men attacked and killed African Americans, leading to widespread violence and several days of chaos. The riot was fueled by racial tensions due to job competition and the contentious issue of the Civil War draft. The violence led to significant destruction in Detroit.

On June 4, 1896, in Detroit, Henry Ford test drove the Ford Quadricycle, his first gasoline-powered automobile. This event marked the beginning of Ford's journey towards revolutionizing the transportation industry, leading to the creation of the Ford Motor Company in 1903. The Quadricycle was a simple two-seater with a four-horsepower engine, and it laid the groundwork for Ford's mass production techniques that transformed industrial manufacturing.

On October 7, 1913, Henry Ford revolutionized manufacturing by launching the first moving assembly line for the mass production of automobiles in his Highland Park plant in Detroit. This innovation drastically cut the assembly time of a car from 12 hours to just about 2 hours and 30 minutes, paving the way for mass production and making cars affordable for the general public. This was a monumental step in industrial history and cemented Detroit's status as the automotive capital of the world.

By November 1, 1920, Detroit had grown rapidly due to its booming automotive industry and became the fourth largest city in the United States, trailing only New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. This rapid growth in population and economic power was fueled by the demand for automobiles, which attracted thousands of workers from across the country and around the world, prompting a cultural and socio-economic transformation of the city.

The Detroit Riot of 1967, also known as the 12th Street Riot, began on July 23 and lasted five days, becoming one of the deadliest and costliest civil disturbances in American history. Triggered by a police raid on an unlicensed bar, tensions between the predominantly African American community and the mostly white police force erupted into violence, resulting in 43 deaths, over 1,000 injuries, and extensive property damage.

On June 1, 2009, General Motors, the largest and one of the oldest car manufacturers in the world, filed for bankruptcy in a historic move that marked the largest industrial bankruptcy in U.S. history. The filing, a result of the 2008 financial crisis and declining sales, led to a massive restructuring of the company. The U.S. government provided financial support to aid in the recovery of GM, ensuring the company's survival and playing a critical role in Detroit's economic landscape.