The top stories in Michigan in 1961, as selected by Associated Press newspaper, radio, and television editors,[1] were as follows: (1) the opening of the state's Constitutional Convention; (2) the negotiations between the United Auto Workers (UAW) and automobile manufacturers; (3) the Detroit Tigers' bid for the American League pennant with 101 wins during the 1961 season;[2] (4) the Republican party's victory in an October 1961 election for control of the Constitutional Convention; (5) the November 7 election of Jerome Cavanagh, a 33-year-old attorney, over the incumbent, Louis Miriani, as Mayor of Detroit;[3] (6) Chrysler Corporation's legal troubles arising from the removal of William Newberg as president and the ouster of L. L. Colbert as CEO; (7) "Tractors for Freedom", a Detroit-based campaign led by Walter Reuther, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Milton S. Eisenhower that raised money in May and June 1961 in an effort to trade 500 tractors to Cuba in exchange for the freedom of 1,214 rebel prisoners captured at the Bay of Pigs Invasion;[4][5] (8) the proposal to create a national recreation area at Sleeping Bear Dunes; (9) the failed prosecution and trial of Gordon Watson and Nelle Lassiter for the murder of her husband, Parvin "Bill" Lassiter;[6] and (10) the closure by Norge, a division of Borg-Warner, of its factory in Muskegon Heights and relocation of manufacturing operations Fort Smith, Arkansas.[7]
In the 1960 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.
Cities
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.
1961 Detroit Titans football team – Under head coach Jim Miller, the Titans compiled a 5–4 record. The team's statistical leaders included Jerry Gross with 1,126 passing yards and Vic Battani with 358 rushing yards.[16]
Michigan Open – John Barnum of Grand Rapids successfully defended his Michigan Open championship (his fourth Michigan Open championship), defeating Max Evans in a sudden-death playoff at the Farmington Country Club on August 21.[32]
Boat racing
Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race – The Sixth Girl was the 28th boat to cross the finish line but was declared the winner on July 24 based on its nine-hour handicap. The Dyna, out of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, was the first boat to cross the finish line.[33]
APBA Gold Cup - Despite failing to win a single heat, Bill Muncey, a Detroit native driving the Miss Century 21 Thriftway Stores, won his third Gold Cup race, the unlimited hydroplane world championship, on Pyramid Lake in Nevada on August 28.[34] Muncey won a total of eight Gold Cup races between 1956 and 1979.
Silver Cup Race - Bob Hayward, the world power boat champion, was killed when his boat, the Miss Supertest II, crashed in the third heat of the Silver Cup Race on the Detroit River on September 10.[35]Ron Musson won the race in his boat, the Miss Bardahl.[36] The Miss Bardahl went on to win five of six Gold Cup races between 1963 and 1968.
Please Mr. Postman, the debut single from The Marvelettes, was released in August 1961 on the Tamla label. It became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts. It was the first Motown song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 -- Shop Around had previously reached No. 2.
September 1 - Eero Saarinen, architect and industrial designer noted for his neo-futuristic style, at age 51 at the University Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan[41]
September 26 - C. E. Wilson, President of General Motors (1941-1953), U. S. Secretary of Defense (1953-1957), at age 71 in Norwood, Louisiana[42]
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