Part 2 – When Detroit Ruled - First in the Nation
In 1961 on a national level Detroit was:
· One of few cities whose electric utility was building an atomic reactor.
- Only North American city connected to all three great sources of natural gas.
· A pioneer in the field of investment, as a member of the National Association of Investment Clubs.
· All vitamin capsules and ingredients were made in Detroit by R. P. Scherer and Parke, Davis.
· From motors to missiles, America’s Astronauts’ space capsules were made in Detroit. Burroughs Corporation was Michigan’s largest defense contractor.
· Headquarters for companies producing 85% of America’s cars and trucks: two million a year.
· Henry Ford’s $5 a day made Detroit the country’s most successful stealer of headlines.
· Pleasure boating capital; had more pleasure boats that any other city.
· Greatest supply of fresh water. During WWII the military paid for a 42-inch main running into Macomb County for a jet engine plant which would have been located in Chicago otherwise.
· Detroit was FIRST among ten largest cities to write a master plan. Approved in 1950 it set objectives for 25 years in advance.
· Detroit Zoo pioneered in displaying wild animals in natural settings without bars.
· Six of top ten advertising agencies had offices in Detroit.
· ONE of nation’s best-lighted streets and the city pioneered lighting alleys.
· Among 100 top cities in U.S. ranked FIRST in average weekly wages to production workers in manufacturing.
· Had the strictest civil service recruiting program in NATION.
· Montgomery Ward’s distribution center in Allen Park was the pilot for a nation-wide chain of electronically controlled warehouses.
FIRST large city to organize a large group of citizens to plan school needs. Over 3000 citizens, headed by American Motors President, George Romney, surveyed each of the 312 public
NEXT: Part 3 - When Detroit Ruled - On a local level
