The story of Detroit and cars is a good one. After all, cars changed Detroit and the world – that's pretty powerful stuff. And it all started in 1903 with Henry Ford. Looking to speed up production, Ford created the first assembly line. With this technique, he could produce cars faster and more efficiently, making them for the first time affordable for the average Joe. And Joe bought them up like hotcakes.

With this new booming industry came new jobs-and loads of them. People from throughout Europe and African Americans from the south all flocked to Detroit for work. Between 1900 and 1930, the city's population soared from 265,000 to over 1.5 million.

At the same time, Detroit's cultural scene blossomed. Led by the almighty auto barons, downtown flourished with new buildings, museums and theaters built by the world's top architects. Music flowed from corner bars and nightclubs, and artists like Diego Rivera captured the moment.

Of course all this industry was not without problems. As the hometown of union leaders Jimmy Hoffa and Walter Reuther, Detroit played a prominent role in the labor movement, leading to the establishment of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, and numerous wage and benefit advancements. The UAW and other unions are still powerful forces in this city, playing a key role in the political landscape.

Today, the affects of the car on Detroit are everywhere – as in the rest of America. Automobiles changed the way we live, where we work and how we play. The automobile led to the growth of suburbia, the creation of a national highway system, and the development of a population entranced with the possibility of going anywhere anytime. It's a freedom Detroiters love, just like the automobile.