Science & invention · born 1936
Samuel C. C. Tingparticle physicistNobel Prize–winning physicist and co-discoverer of the J/ψ particle, born in Ann Arbor, who returned to the University of Michigan for all his degrees.DETROIT / A living lexicon / ¼
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.
- 1,949 famous people
- 516 Detroit places
- 16 fields
Hungarian ties 31 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Origin and citizenship
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17 people
Clear filtersScience & invention · born 1936Samuel C. C. Tingparticle physicistNobel Prize–winning physicist and co-discoverer of the J/ψ particle, born in Ann Arbor, who returned to the University of Michigan for all his degrees.
Science & invention · born 1960Eric BetzigphysicistPhysicist who shared the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for super-resolution fluorescence microscopy; born in Ann Arbor, he spent years back in Michigan at his family's machine-tool company.
Science & invention · 1915–2008Thomas Huckle Wellervirologist, physicianVirologist who shared the 1954 Nobel Prize for growing poliovirus in tissue culture, the step that made polio vaccines possible; born and raised in Ann Arbor.
Science & invention · born 1947Michael Portereconomist, management scholarHarvard Business School professor behind the five forces model of competitive strategy, born in Ann Arbor in 1947.
Business & brands · 1913–2001Bill Hewlettengineer, entrepreneurCo-founder of Hewlett-Packard, born in Ann Arbor, where his father taught at the University of Michigan Medical School.
Science & invention · born 1932Alvin PlantingaphilosopherLeading Christian philosopher of religion and Templeton Prize laureate, born in Ann Arbor, who began his professorial career at Wayne State University in Detroit (1958–1963).
Science & invention · 1864–1929Charles Horton CooleysociologistPioneer of American sociology who coined the 'looking-glass self'; he spent his whole life in Ann Arbor and taught the University of Michigan's first sociology course.
Science & invention · 1924–2013Kenneth Waltzpolitical scientistFounder of neorealism, the most influential theory of international politics of the late 20th century; born and raised in Ann Arbor.
Science & invention · 1887–1975
Kazimierz Fajansphysical chemistPolish-born pioneer of radioactivity and co-discoverer of protactinium, who taught at the University of Michigan from 1936 after leaving Nazi Germany.
Science & invention · 1904–2007
Rudolf Arnheimart and film theorist, psychologistGerman-born theorist of art and visual perception, author of Art and Visual Perception, who spent his last three decades in Ann Arbor and taught at the University of Michigan.
Science & invention · born 1942Deirdre McCloskeyeconomist, economic historianEconomic historian known for The Rhetoric of Economics and the Bourgeois Era trilogy, born in Ann Arbor in 1942.
Science & invention · 1903–1981Rensis Likertsocial psychologistPsychologist behind the Likert scale and founder of the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research in Ann Arbor.Ronald Inglehartpolitical scientistFounding president of the World Values Survey and theorist of 'post-materialist' values, who taught at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor from 1966 until his death in 2021.
Film & TV · born 1962John Knollvisual effects supervisor, co-creator of PhotoshopOscar-winning Industrial Light & Magic effects supervisor and co-creator of Adobe Photoshop, born and raised in Ann Arbor, where his brother wrote the first version.Thomas Knollsoftware engineerCreator of Adobe Photoshop, which he began writing in 1987 as a University of Michigan doctoral student in Ann Arbor, where he was born and raised.
Science & invention · 1942–2011David Rumelhartcognitive psychologistCognitive scientist whose work on parallel distributed processing and backpropagation laid foundations for modern neural networks; he spent his last years in the Ann Arbor area.
Music · born 1938Bernie Krausemusician, synthesizer pioneer, soundscape ecologistDetroit-born musician who joined the folk group the Weavers, helped introduce the Moog synthesizer to pop music and later founded the science of soundscape ecology.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 ↗
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