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Famous Detroiters

People who were born here, moved here or built their careers in Detroit: musicians, carmakers, athletes, writers, inventors, civil-rights leaders and a few notorious names. With their dates, their Detroit story and the places where they lived, worked and played, closed ones included.

1,940 famous people
366 Detroit places
22 fields

Hungarian ties 22 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →

3 people

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Labor · 1914–1976Myra Wolfganglabor leader, women's rights activistDetroit organizer of waitresses and hotel workers, nicknamed the Battling Belle of Detroit, who helped lead the 1937 Woolworth sit-down strike.Grew up hereDetroit career

Science & invention · 1918–2002Charles H. Wrightobstetrician-gynecologist, museum founderDetroit obstetrician who founded the museum of African American history that now bears his name, one of the largest of its kind in the world.Moved hereDetroit career

Civil rights & activism · 1912–2001Charleszetta WaddlesPentecostal minister, founder of the Mother Waddles Perpetual MissionPentecostal minister known as Mother Waddles who for more than four decades fed, clothed and trained Detroit's poor through her Perpetual Mission.Moved hereDetroit career

The lexicon keeps growing. Every entry lists its sources at the bottom. Dates were checked against Wikidata and Wikipedia. The texts are our own. Famous people's places among the sights ↗

Famous Detroiters

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