Detroit Historical Society

A black-and-white photograph of Steve Yzerman, wearing a red Detroit Red Wings jersey with the number 19 and a captain's "C" on the chest. He is on the ice, holding a hockey stick, and wearing full hockey gear, including a helmet with a visor. The background shows a blurred crowd in the stands.

On this day in 1986, Steve Yzerman was named captain of the Detroit Red Wings at the age of 21. He remained captain for 19 seasons, longer than anyone else in North American sports history. Sidney Crosby will tie this record in the 2025-26 season.

Orange and grey map of Metro Beach Metropark, with an inset map of the greater Detroit area. The bottom third of the image is the cover for the map, with 4 symbols representing the 4 seasons.

Have you visited a Metropark recently? This system of 13 public parks in the Detroit area has been around since 1939 and allows you to enjoy the outdoors at any time of the year. This map of Metro Beach Metropark from 1981 is in our catalog: https://myumi.ch/R3N1N #MapMonday

🏭 Learn more about life in Detroit during WWII in our Detroit Historical Museum exhibition Detroit: "The Arsenal of Democracy": www.detroithistorical.org/exhibitions/...

On October 6, 1942, an "Air Raid Defense Meeting" was held at the Fifth Church of Christ Scientist, located on Second Boulevard at Whitmore Road in Detroit, as advertised on this poster.

📰 #OTD in #ComicBook #History 4 October 1931, #ChesterGould's famous detective #DICKTRACY (originally named "Plainclothes Tracy") made his debut as a comic strip in the Detroit Sunday Mirror. Gould wrote and drew Tracy until 1977.

The Detroit Shoppe: 15 Years of Celebrating Detroit

🎉🛍️✨From 10/3–10/25 at Somerset Collection North, celebrate 15 years of the Detroit Shoppe with a new exhibit featuring 100+ of our iconic artifacts!
📍 Somerset Collection North Grand Court (Troy)
📆 Oct 3–25, 2025
🔍 Learn more & plan your visit: www.detroithistorical.org/exhibitions/...

⚾️🐯🎊 Cheer on the Detroit Tigers with 25% off team items in our store! Discounts are reflected at checkout and run through Monday, 10/6: shop.detroithistorical.org/collections/...

🌆 Learn more about the Fisher Building, which houses the theater, and has been called Detroit's largest art object: www.detroithistorical.org/learn/online...

On October 2, 1961, the newly remodeled Fisher Theatre opened. Pictured here, the statue "The Dancer" by Edouard Chassaing was a focal point of its new lobby.

TODAY IN AFRO HISTORY ! THE FIRST AFRO AMERICAN OWNED TV STATION ( WGPR-TV) BEGINS AIRING IN DETROIT MICHIGAN IN 1975 ! #blackhistory

On this day in 1997:
The Detroit Association of Women's Clubs celebrates its new Michigan Historical marker. The previously one had been stolen; an unnamed donor sponsored the new marker.

☎️ Need information about visiting our museums, attending an event, getting a membership, or anything else? Text us at 313-385-4562 and get 24/7 help from our new virtual assistant, powered by FRANSiS™

The Canadian National Railway's car ferry Lansdowne, seen tied up at the Windsor, Ontario dock in 1959. This was a side-wheel steam powered vessel, built in 1884. Photo by Gordon Bugbee, Marine Historical Society of Detroit photo.

Sep 24, 1955: the last day on which Canadian National Railway passengers crossed the Detroit River between Detroit, MI and Windsor, ON by means of train ferry. From that point on, passengers crossed the border by bus, the early models painted in the new CN colours introduced a year before.

Rare 1963 Chrysler Turbine to go on display at Detroit Historical Museum A rare piece of automotive history is making its way to the Motor City this fall, when the Detroit Historical Museum installs a 1963 Chrysler Turbine.

A rare piece of automotive history is making its way to the Motor City this fall, when the Detroit Historical Museum installs a 1963 Chrysler Turbine.

Pictured here: a light blue mid-1950s Chrysler white-top convertible with tailfins resembling a 300C series with a young woman at the driver's side door. More details: www.detroithistorical.org/learn/online...

On September 24, 1909, automobile designer Virgil Exner was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He would become Chrysler Corporation’s first Vice President of Styling and widely known for creating the "Forward Look" for 1955–1963 Chrysler models.

Learn more: www.detroithistorical.org/learn/online...

YouTube video by Detroit Historical Society The Spirit of Detroit (1959)

On September 23, 1958, the monumental Spirit of Detroit, created by sculptor Marshall Fredericks, was installed on its marble base and formally dedicated.

Watch scenes from the fabrication, installation, and dedication of the iconic sculpture in this film from our archive.

He is and yes, he is!

Much to explore on our youtube

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union..." 📜

#OnThisDay in 1787, the United States Constitution was signed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. #ConstitutionDay

On September 16, 1908, businessman William C. Durant founded General Motors. He would lose control of the company in 1910, buy it back in 1916, and agree to resign from it in 1920. Learn more about Durant in our online encyclopedia: www.detroithistorical.org/learn/online...

Event: #Maptime Fall 2025 Series WHEN: Mondays, starting September 15th, from 12-4PM WHERE: Prentis Building Fishbowl, Wayne State University, 5201 Cass Ave. WHAT: Come co-work on your mapping project, get support learning GIS, or just chat about maps! RSVP: Let us know you're coming!

Event: #Maptime Fall 2025 Series

WHEN: Mondays, starting September 15th, from 12-4PM WHERE: Prentis Building Fishbowl, Wayne State University, 5201 Cass Ave. WHAT: Come co-work on your mapping project, get support learning GIS, or just chat about maps! RSVP: Let us know you're coming!

On September 10, 1966, the new passenger terminal building at Detroit City Airport was dedicated. This bi-fold program from the event is housed in our collection.

🛩️ Learn more about City Airport, now known as Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport: www.detroithistorical.org/learn/online...

On this day in 1925: Man killed during mob attack on Black physician’s Detroit home • Michigan Advance On Sept. 9, 1925, a white mob attacked the Detroit home of Dr. Ossian Sweet, an African-American physician. The Sweet residence was located in a predominantly white neighborhood on the city’s lower ea...

On this day in 1925:
Man killed during mob attack on Black physician’s Detroit home.
michiganadvance.com/briefs/on-th...

Learn more about the Fitzgerald, one of the most famous ships ever to sail the Great Lakes: www.detroithistorical.org/learn/online...

On September 6, 1969, the Edmund Fitzgerald ran aground near the Soo Locks in Sault Sainte Marie, MI, causing internal and external damage to the ship. The freighter would be lost a little over six years later, during a November 1975 storm in Lake Superior.

As a philanthropist, Kettering founded the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research with General Motors chairman Alfred P. Sloan in 1945. Learn more: www.detroithistorical.org/learn/online...

On August 29, 1876, Charles Franklin Kettering was born near Loudonville, Ohio. He would serve as head of GM Research for 27 years and acquire 186 patents in his name. While best known as the founder of Delco and inventor of the electric starter for cars, he pioneered many other innovations.

#OnThisDay in 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington.

King’s speech inspired a nation to confront its long history of racial inequality and make good on the promises set forth in the Declaration of Independence.

📸 Dom Slike/Alamy Stock Photo

This c. 1915 postcard shows four views of buildings owned by Cadillac: the "Main Plant," the "Foundries and Sheet Metal Division," the "Body Factory," and the "Material Warehouse."

Learn more: www.detroithistorical.org/learn/online...