Events from the year 1958 in Michigan.
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The Associated Press ranked the top Michigan news stories of 1958 as follows:[1]
- The November 18 sinking of the SS Carl D. Bradley in a Lake Michigan storm, resulting in the death of 33 of 35 crew members (AP-1, 350 points)
- The April 6 crash of Capital Airlines Flight 67 into Saginaw Bay on final approach to Freeland, Michigan, resulting in the deaths of all 47 persons on board (AP-2, 285 points)
- The Democratic Party's sweep of the November election (AP-3, 240 points))
- The case of Frank Kierdorf, business agent for Teamsters Local 332 in Flint, who was taken at gunpoint to a wooded area in Oakland County, set on fire, and then dropped off at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Pontiac[2] (AP-4, 239 points)
- Dedication of the Mackinac Bridge (AP-5, 191 points)
- Negotiations and strikes between the UAW and Big Three automobile manufacturers (AP-6, 180 points)
- Proposal to create a state income tax (AP-7)
- Record unemployment (AP-8)
- Slump in the automobile industry (AP-9)
- 1958 Detroit Tigers season, including the June 9 firing of manager Jack Tighe, the drop to fifth place, and the trade of Billy Martin to Cleveland (AP-10)
The United Press International ranked the state's top sports stories of 1958 as follows:[3]
In the 1950 United States census, Michigan was recorded as having a population of 6,421,000 persons, ranking as the seventh most populous state in the country. By 1960, the state's population had grown 22.8% to 7,823,194 persons.
Cities
The following is a list of cities in Michigan with a population of at least 40,000 based on 1950 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1940 and 1960 is included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Cities that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.
More information 1950 Rank, City ...
1950 Rank |
City |
County |
1940 Pop. |
1950 Pop. |
1960 Pop. |
Change 1950-60 |
1 | Detroit | Wayne | 1,623,452 | 1,849,568 | 1,670,144 | −9.7% |
2 | Grand Rapids | Kent | 164,292 | 176,515 | 177,313 | 0.5% |
3 | Flint | Genesee | 151,543 | 163,143 | 196,940 | 20.7% |
4 | Dearborn | Wayne | 63,589 | 94,994 | 112,007 | 17.9% |
5 | Saginaw | Saginaw | 82,794 | 92,918 | 98,265 | 5.8% |
6 | Lansing | Ingham | 78,753 | 92,129 | 107,807 | 17.0% |
7 | Pontiac | Oakland | 66,626 | 73,681 | 82,233 | 11.6% |
8 | Kalamazoo | Kalamazoo | 54,097 | 57,704 | 82,089 | 42.4% |
9 | Bay City | Bay | 47,956 | 52,523 | 53,604 | 2.1% |
10 | Jackson | Jackson | 49,656 | 51,088 | 50,720 | −0.7% |
11 | Battle Creek | Calhoun | 43,453 | 48,666 | 44,169 | −9.2% |
12 | Muskegon | Muskegon | 47,697 | 48,429 | 46,485 | −4.0% |
13 | Ann Arbor | Washtenaw | 29,815 | 48,251 | 67,340 | 39.6% |
14 | Royal Oak | Oakland | 25,087 | 46,898 | 80,612 | 71.9% |
15 | Warren | Macomb | 23,658 | 42,653 | 89,246 | 109.2% |
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Counties
The following is a list of counties in Michigan with populations of at least 100,000 based on 1950 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1940 and 1960 are included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Counties that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.
More information 1980 Rank, County ...
1980 Rank |
County |
Largest city |
1940 Pop. |
1950 Pop. |
1960 Pop. |
Change 1950-60 |
1 | Wayne | Detroit | 2,015,623 | 2,435,235 | 2,666,297 | 9.5% |
2 | Oakland | Pontiac | 254,068 | 396,001 | 690,259 | 74.3% |
3 | Kent | Grand Rapids | 246,338 | 288,292 | 363,187 | 26.0% |
4 | Genesee | Flint | 227,944 | 270,963 | 374,313 | 38.1% |
5 | Macomb | Warren | 107,638 | 184,961 | 405,804 | 119.4% |
6 | Ingham | Lansing | 130,616 | 172,941 | 211,296 | 22.2% |
7 | Saginaw | Saginaw | 130,468 | 153,515 | 190,752 | 24.3% |
8 | Washtenaw | Ann Arbor | 80,810 | 134,606 | 172,440 | 28.1% |
9 | Kalamazoo | Kalamazoo | 100,085 | 126,707 | 169,712 | 33.9% |
10 | Muskegon | Muskegon | 94,501 | 121,545 | 129,943 | 6.9% |
11 | Calhoun | Battle Creek | 94,206 | 120,813 | 138,858 | 14.9% |
12 | Berrien | Benton Harbor | 89,117 | 115,702 | 149,865 | 29.5% |
13 | Jackson | Jackson | 93,108 | 108,168 | 131,994 | 22.0% |
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- 1958 Detroit Lions season – The Lions, under head coach George Wilson, compiled a 4–7–1 record. The team's statistical leaders included Tobin Rote with 1,678 passing yards and 351 rushing yards, Dave Middleton with 506 receiving yards, and Jim Martin with 49 points scored.[6]
- 1958 Michigan State Spartans football team – Under head coach Duffy Daugherty, the Spartans compiled a 3–5–1 record. The team's statistical leaders included Mike Panitch with 250 passing yards, Dean Look with 328 rushing yards, and Sam Williams with 242 receiving yards.[7]
- 1958 Michigan Wolverines football team – Under head coach Bennie Oosterbaan, the Wolverines compiled a 2-6-1 record.[8] The team's statistical leaders included Bob Ptacek with 763 passing yards, Darrell Harper with 309 rushing yards and 54 points scored, and Gary Prahst with 313 receiving yards.[9]
- 1958 Eastern Michigan Hurons football team – Under head coach Fred Trosko, the Hurons compiled a 4–5 record.[10]
- 1958 Central Michigan Chippewas football team – Under head coach Kenneth "Bill" Kelly, the Chippewas compiled a 7–3 record.[11]
- 1958 Western Michigan Broncos football team – Under head coach Merle Schlosser, the Broncos compiled a 4–5 record.[12]
- 1958 Detroit Titans football team – The Titans compiled a 4–4–1 record under head coach Wally Fromhart.[13]
- January 8 - Betsy DeVos, businesswoman and current Secretary of Education, in Holland, Michigan
- March 10 - Steve Howe, Major League Baseball pitcher (1980–1996), in Pontiac, Michigan
- March 31 - Danny Bass, Canadian Football League player (1980-1991), in Lansing, Michigan
- June 22 - Bruce Campbell, actor (Evil Dead franchise, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Burn Notice), in Royal Oak, Michigan
- July 15 - Mike Duggan, Mayor of Detroit since 2014, in Detroit
- August 11 - Dan Kildee, U.S. Congressman since 2013, in Flint, Michigan
- August 16 - Madonna, singer and entertainer, in Bay City, Michigan
- August 19 - Rick Snyder, Governor of Michigan (2011–2019), in Battle Creek, Michigan
- August 21 - Gary Hogeboom, NFL quarterback (1980–1990), in Grand Rapids, Michigan
- October 23 - Michael Eric Dyson, sociology professor, author, and radio host, in Detroit
- December 1 - Gary Peters, U.S. Congress (2009-2015), U.S. Senate (2015-present), in Pontiac, Michigan
- December 24 - Gene Sperling, economist who was Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy under Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, in Ann Arbor, Michigan
- October 25 - Edward Aloysius Mooney, Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Detroit (1937-1958), at age 76 in Rome, Italy
- November - H. G. Salsinger, sports editor of The Detroit News for 49 years, at age 73 in Detroit