In 1905, an employee of Alhambra Apartments served poisoned biscuits to the buildings residents because she was upset at having been demoted from cook to floor-scrubber. Two people died.
In 2007, Free Press journalist Bill McGraw drove down all 2,700 miles of Detroits streets. Over the course of five months, he traveled down 2,100 streets across the city and observed the extremes of the city. McGraws reflections and interviews were published in a five-part series.
Over the course of 11 years, a Detroit woman swindled $231,000 from an 88-year-old man and spent it all at Detroit casinos. Carrie McCoy, a 66-year-old Baptist church employee, met the man through a lonely hearts club. He lives in Green Bay, Wisc., and they never met in person. After accusing the man of inappropriate behavior, McCoy blackmailed him.
In 2015, the parents of a seven-month-old baby were shocked to find their childs boarding pass was stamped SSSS. This designation means the person has been identified for extra screening from the Terrorist Screening Center, a division of the FBI. The child, now four years old, was one of 18 plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Terrorist Screening Center and a class-action lawsuit seeking damages. A judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in early September 2019.
During a visit to Childrens Hospital of Michigan in 2010, Elmo was given the key to the city by then-Mayor Dave Bing. Detroit is the only city to have awarded Elmo a key to the city.
Before a show in Montreal, Houdini was punched in the stomach numerous times by a visitor who had asked if Houdini could withstand any punch. Houdini performed at Detroits Garrick Theater despite crippling pain. Just days later on Halloween, Houdini died at Grace Hospital of appendicitis.
In 1975, the union organizer went missing from outside a Bloomfield Hills restaurant. While Hoffa was declared legally dead in 1982, the mystery of his disappearance has yet to be solved.
Since 2002, Extreme Kidnapping has specialized in fake kidnapping. For $1000, you can experience the express kidnap, a four-hour, customizable kidnapping adventure. A 10-hour kidnapping will run you $1600. They also offer kidnapping prevention courses, corporate team building workshops, and interrogation survival classes.
While Belle Isle is usually a haven of quiet solitude away from the bustle of the city, it was once the site of a heavy metal concert. In 2013, Metallica played a surprise show on Belle Isle during the Orion Music + More Festival.
In 1987, the second-deadliest airplane crash in the United States occurred shortly after the plane took off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Of the 157 passengers and crew, the only survivor was a 4-year-old girl. Nick Vanos, a basketball player for the Phoenix Suns, was among those killed.