The voters' adoption of a new Michigan Constitution (AP-1, DFP-1);
Gov.George W. Romney's fiscal reform campaign, including a proposed state income tax that was defeated by the Legislature (AP-2, DFP-4);
A boom year for the automobile industry (AP-6, DFP-2);
Racial demonstrations, including the June 23Detroit Walk to Freedom that drew an estimated crowd of 125,000 and was known as "the largest civil rights demonstration in the nation's history" up to that date (AP-7, DFP-3);
A botulism outbreak that (i) killed two Grosse Ile women in March tied to canned tuna, (ii) resulted in two additional deaths in October tied to smoked whitefish, and (iii) caused five deaths in the south traced to Michigan-packaged smoked chubs; some of the botulism was traced to smoked fish canned in Grand Haven (AP-4, DFP-7);
The ouster of Joe Collins led by former Gov.John Swainson and selection ofZolton Ferency as chairman of the state Democratic Party at the February convention in Grand Rapids (AP-9, DFP-6);
Detroit's bid to host the 1968 Summer Olympics, ending with the International Olympic Committee's selection of Mexico City on October 18 (AP-8, DFP-8);
The April escape of four prisoners from theMichigan State Prison inJackson leading to an intensive manhunt (AP-11 [tie], DFP-9);
The disappearance and murder of Joan Watkins, a 28-year-old housewife and mother fromBrooklyn, Michigan (AP-11 [tie], DFP-10);
The impact on Michigan of the assassination of PresidentJohn F. Kennedy (AP-3);
The July 27 collapse of a bridge into theClinton River, causing injury to 48 persons, during a golf tournament at Hillcrest Country Club inMacomb County; and
In the1960 United States census, Michigan was recorded as having a population of 7,823,194 persons, ranking as the seventh most populous state in the country. By 1970, the state's population had grown 13.4% to 8,875,083 persons.
The following is a list of cities in Michigan with a population of at least 60,000 based on 1960 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1950 and 1970 is included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Cities that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.
The following is a list of counties in Michigan with populations of at least 100,000 based on 1960 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1950 and 1970 are included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Counties that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.
1963 Detroit Lions season – The Lions, under head coachGeorge Wilson, compiled a 5–8–1 record and finished in fourth place in the NFL's West Division. The team's statistical leaders includedEarl Morrall with 2,621 passing yards,Dan Lewis with 528 rushing yards, andTerry Barr with 1,086 receiving yards and 78 points scored.[7]
January 7 - Henry Ford II announced a $400 million expansion plan for Ford Motor Company, including $50-60 million in the Detroit area
January 8 - Detroit Police Commissioner George Edwards charged that severalDetroit Lions players, including Alex Karras and Wayne Walker, were associating with "notorious gamblers"[22]
January 12 - Three persons were killed when a plane crashed into the back yard of a home inWarren, Michigan
January 23-24 - Cold weather covers much of the country with over 100 deaths; Detroit records a record 12 degrees below zero
January 28 - General Motors announced a 1962 profit of $1.459 billion, the largest corporate profit in history
February 5 - Following a month of sniper shootings in Oakland County, a 15-year-old genius (140 IQ) from Bloomfield Township, Douglas Cooper Godfrey, was arrested. He confessed to shooting and killing his mother.[23] A 22-year-old Novi man confessed on February 7 to another shooting which was intended to copy the Bloomfield shooter.
February 6 - Ford Motor Company announced record 1962 profits of $480.7 million.
February 15 - Studebaker announced it would install seatbelts on all new cars, becoming the first auto maker to make the commitment.
February 18 - General Motors announced a $1.25 billion expansion plan, including $500 million in investments in Michigan
February 24 - The executive offices of Hygrade Food Products in Detroit were destroyed by a fire.
April 7 - Three Central Michigan University students were killed and 12 injured as a wall collapsed in a burning building in Mount Pleasant.
April 9 -Arjay Miller was announced as the new president of Ford Motor Company.
April 12 - Two white men were arrested in Mississippi for throwing a firebomb into a house where Detroit Congressman Charles Diggs was staying.
April 16 - Chrysler announced a $36.2 million profit in first quarter with a 50% increase in sales.
April 17 - NFL CommissionerPete Rozelle suspended Lions' starAlex Karras for one year for betting on football games. Five other Lions were fined $2,000 each for betting on the 1962 NFL Championship Game.
April 18 - The Detroit Red Wings lost the final game of the1963 Stanley Cup Finals to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
April 23 - Four prisoners escaped from Jackson Prison. The last three prisoners were captured on May 25 in Wisconsin.
April 24 - General Motors announced record profits of $414 million in first quarter on sales of $4.1 billion.
July 24 - The body of Detroit confidence man Sol C. Brodsky was discovered riddled with bullets in Macomb Township.
July 27 - A bridge collapsed into the Clinton River, causing injury to 48 persons, during a golf tournament at Hillcrest Country Club in Macomb County.[25]
July 29 - General Motors announced second quarter earnings that broke 10 records. Earnings for the first six months totaled $878 million on $8.668 billion in sales. Worldwide employment reached 641,449.
September 19 - 40 persons arrested in Detroit drug raid; heroin and marijuana seized.
September 26 - An elephant escaped from a carnival, broke through the windows of a Lansing department store, and rampaged through the store.
September 29 - TheDetroit Free Press publishes an investigative report on the runway at Selfridge Air Force Base built with defective concrete that has developed thousands of small holes, forcing the Air Force to declare it hazardous.
November 6 - Detroit's ArchbishopJohn Dearden was appointed to the Vatican Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity.
November 9 - After a 10-year decline in Detroit's population from 1.905 million in 1953 to 1.620 million in 1963, Detroit Metropolitan Area Regional Planning Commission projected an increase in population moving forward.
November 10 -Gordie Howe scored his 545th regular season goal against the Montreal Canadiens, breaking the NHL record set byMaurice Richard.
November 18 - The Detroit Tigers tradedRocky Colavito to the Kansas City Athletics.
November 20 - A federal judge in Nashville charged that Jimmy Hoffa's attorney conspired to bribe a juror in Hoffa's trial for tampering with a grand jury.
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