In light of Detroit’s declaration of bankruptcy in recent days, I found today’s feature rather timely. On this date in 1701, the city of Detroit was founded by Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac. As you can guess, he was from France, and he was serving King Louis XIV. It was originally a trading post, and as you might be able to guess, Detroit-based Cadillac named their car company after him. It is one of the oldest cities in the Midwest, and how sad that it has fallen to the depths that it has.
For more information:
http://famousdaily.com/history/city-of-detroit-founded.html
http://www.answers.com/topic/detroit-founded
http://www.city-data.com/world-cities/Detroit-History.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Detroit,_Michigan