Detroit's Famous Firsts

Story by Michelle Martin

Detroit has always been a center for innovation. From its early beginnings as a fur-trading outpost to its rise as a leader in American manufacturing, the city has earned many accolades over the years – including its most famous moniker, the Motor City. But there’s more to Detroit than its automotive legacy. It’s also a place that has produced many famous “firsts” – and, interestingly, is home to one famous “last.”

First Paved Mile of Road
Woodward Avenue, the city’s main thoroughfare, had the first mile of paved concrete in the United States. Stretching from Six Mile to Seven Mile roads, the concrete was laid in 1909 at the cost of $14,000.

First Van Gogh
The Detroit Institute of Arts was the first public museum in the United States to purchase a painting by Vincent Van Gogh. In 1922, the museum purchased “Self Portrait,” which is still part of the DIA’s permanent the museum, for $4,200.

First Zoo Without Cages
During a time when zoos across the country put their animals in cages for display, the Detroit Zoo thought differently. The zoo, which opened in 1928, was the first zoo to have cageless habitats. It was also the first zoo to decide to no longer keep elephants.

A group of people looking at penguins in an aquarium.
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The Detroit Zoo

First International Tunnel for Cars
Connecting Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, the nearly 1-mile-long Detroit-Windsor tunnel was the first international tunnel for vehicles. Completed in 1930, the tunnel runs as deep as 75 feet below the Detroit River.

First Expressway
Opened for traffic in 1942, the Davison Freeway in Detroit was the first below-grade expressway built in the United States. The expressway runs east-west and connects M-10 (known locally as “the Lodge”) to I-75.

First Radio Station
Detroit is home to the first government-licensed radio station, which started broadcasting in August 1920. The station, 8MK, is known today as WWJ-AM (950).

Detroit Skyline
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Credit: Charles Falsetti

First Tri-Colored Traffic Light
The three-color traffic light that we all know today was invented in Detroit. It was first installed downtown at the corner of Woodward and Michigan Avenues in 1920.

… And One “Last”
For as many firsts that Detroit is known for, there is also one last – Thomas Edison’s last breath, sealed in a tube at Greenfield Village in Dearborn. At the time of Edison’s death, his attending physician sealed several of the test tubes in the room, one of which was sent to Henry Ford. Today it’s part of the collection at The Henry Ford.

Women at Greenfield Village

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