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Michigan Firsts - Michigan has set the standard as an innovator and leader in many different areas. Here are some of the things we have done first in the world and in the nation.
1846 - First state to outlaw capital punishment. 1849 - The Michigan State Fair was the first state fair in the United States. 1855 - Michigan State University was founded as the nation's first land-grant university and served as the prototype for 69 land-grant institutions later established under the Morrill Act of 1862. It was the first institution of higher learning in the nation to teach scientific agriculture. 1866 - Vernors ginger ale became the first soda pop made in the United States by James Vernor and Company, Detroit. Mr. Vernor concocted and sold his ginger ale at his drug store. 1872 - Elijah J. McCoy, a black inventor raised in Ypsilanti, patented the first automatic lubrication system for locomotives and other machinery. The device was so effective it was difficult to sell imitations that were not "the real McCoy"; McCoy's name became synonymous with anything genuine or authentic.
1888 - Planted in 1888, the W.J. Beal Plantation in Grayling (pop. 1,952) is among the oldest documented tree plantations in North America. The plantation is named for the Michigan Agricultural College professor who planted more than 40 tree and shrub species to determine how they grew on dry, sandy soil. 1891 - The world's first international submarine railway tunnel was opened between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario. 1892 - World's first railroad car ferry to operate in open waters (as opposed to rivers or straits), was initiated by the Toledo, Ann Arbor, and North Michigan Railroad. The ferry crossed Lake Michigan between Elberta, Mich., and Keewaunee, Wis 1896 - The nation's first carpet sweeper was invented and patented by Melville R. Bissell of Grand Rapids. 1901 - Today Islam is one of the most rapidly growing religions in the United States. Michigan was home to the nation's first mosque, which was built in 1901 in Highland Park. 1903 - Floyd Mattice, a student at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, gave the first "live" play-by-play of a college football game Oct. 31, 1903. From a phone booth atop a 40-foot tower on the 55-foot yard line in the Minnesota stadium, Mattice reported the plays to fans in Michigan. 1909 - First rural mile of concrete pavement in the U.S. opened in Wayne County. It was constructed on Woodward Avenue between McNichols Road (Six Mile) and Seven Mile Road at a cost of $13,534.59. 1910 - U.S. Census placed Michigan first in the nation in the manufacture of automobiles. 1911 - Established in 1911, Owasippe Scout Reservation near Whitehall (pop. 2,884) is the nation´s oldest Boy Scout camp. 1913 - The Ford Motor Company introduced the first moving automobile assembly line at Highland Park. 1917 - Michigan was credited with painting the first center line on a state highway-the Marquette to Negaunee Road. 1919 - Nation's first roadside park (on US 2 Iron County) 1919 - The legislature granted the Michigan Secretary of State power to discipline careless drivers, leading to today's point system for driving infractions. 1920 - The first four-way traffic signal with red, green and amber lights appeared in Detroit. Designed by William L. Potts of the Detroit Police Department, the light was placed at the intersection of Woodward Avenue and Fort Street. 1920 - GMC became the first company to develop research laboratories under the direction of Charles Kettering. 1920 - WWJ began commercial broadcasting of regular programs. It was the first such radio station in the nation. 1922 - The first practical highway snowplow developed in the United States was designed and built by Edward C. Levy, Munising's public works superintendent. It was mounted on runners and consisted of two wooden wings, each 10 feet high and 20 feet long. The wings were retractable, permitting the plowing of all city streets, county roads or alleyways, but they were obsolete in a few years with the advent of rotary, angle and V-plows mounted on the front of trucks. 1923 - The nation's first intercity superhighway, "an eight-lane divided marvel," was built on an 18-mile stretch of Woodward Avenue between Detroit and Pontiac. It had a 40-foot median for public transit service. 1924 - J. L. Hudson's in Detroit became the first air-conditioned department store. 1925 - The first use of aerial surveys for highway design occurred when the Abrams Aerial Survey Company of Lansing took photos of a planned route between Benzonia and Beulah. 1926 - The nations first regularly scheduled air passenger service began operation between Grand Rapids and Detroit. 1927 - First commercially-prepared baby food was invented by Daniel F. Gerber of Fremont. 1928 - The Ford Motor Company was the first auto manufacturer to use safety glass as standard equipment.
1929 - Nation's first roadside picnic tables (along US 16 in Ionia) 1929 - Both the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit (1929), and the Mackinac Bridge (1957), were the world's longest suspension bridges when they were built. 1930 - The one mile-long Detroit-Windsor Tunnel was the first automobile tunnel built between two nations and cost $23 million to build. 1935 - United Auto Workers first to use sit-down strike successfully in contract negotiations. 1936- Nation's first state operated information center (now called welcome centers) was opened in 1935 near New Buffalo, Mich. (Today, there are 13 welcome centers at border points or near popular visitor locations.) 1937 - What Every Driver Must Know: A Summary of the More Important Rules of the Road was published by authority of Secretary of State Leon D. Case. In 1938, a million copies of What Every Driver Must Know were distributed. Michigan was nationally recognized as the first state to place traffic law instructions into driver's hands. 1939 - The Packard Motor Car Company in Detroit manufactured the first air-conditioned car. 1940 - In 1940, the first organization for women who enjoy motorcycling, the Motor Maids, was founded, and Dot Robinson of Detroit was elected president. Today, the club has chapters nationwide. 1942 - Nation's first depressed urban expressway (Davison Freeway now M 8 in Highland Park) 1960 - Nation's first state to complete a border-to-border interstate ? I-94 running 205 miles from Detroit to New Buffalo 1968 - Fisher Body introduced a specially designed child safety seat to protect one- through four-year-olds from interior collision. 1969 - Ford Motor Company introduced rear-wheel anti lock brakes. 1971 - Michigan was the first to complete a border-to-border interstate highway, I-94, that runs 205 miles from Detroit to New Buffalo. 1972 - General Motors became the first automaker to establish a biomedical science department to perform and report research addressing the mechanisms of toxic and traumatic injury. 1973 - The State Safety Commission convened the Cycle Safety Conference - the first such symposium held anywhere in the world. The conference was designed to study how bicycles and motorcycles could safely coexist with cars and trucks in Michigan. 1974 - The first mass produced air bags were provided as a $225 option on some Cadillac and Buick models. 1975 - Michigan became the first state in the nation to combine driver licensing and voter registration as part of the same service, later known nationally as "Motor Voter." 1976 - The Jaycettes formed the "Buckle Up Babes" program, which became a national model for child safety seat loan and rental programs. 1977 - Nation's first bicycle path to be constructed alongside an interstate freeway. (The 37-mile-long I 275. path) 2007 ? Hunting is a major component of Michigan's economy. Michigan ranks first in the nation in licensed hunters (over one million) who contribute $2 billion annually to its economy 2007 - Michigan leads the nation in registration of snowmobiles with 295,703. |