A Civil War general and Indian fighter, George Custer assumed command of Michigan's 7th cavalry regiment. On a mission to round up hostile Sioux and Cheyenne, he disobeyed orders and the entire regiment was slaughtered at the Battle of The Little Bighorn. Birthplace: New Rumley, Ohio.
Thomas Dewey was a Michigan native who participated in one of the most famous presidential elections. He was the 1948 Republican nominee to run against Harry S Truman. Pollsters and the media predicted a landslide victory for Dewey and never took note of the growing support for Truman. Newspapers were even printed declaring Dewey the winner. But Truman soundly defeated Dewey to take his first full term as president. Birthplace: Owosso.
A talented writer, Edna Ferber won a Pulitzer in 1925 for her novel "So Big." Some of her other famous works include "Ice Palace", "Cimarron" and the play "Stage Door." Birthplace: Kalamazoo.
Henry Ford started the Ford Motor Company which still makes cars today. He developed the assembly line process which allowed more cars to be made at lower prices so more people could drive. Birthplace: Detroit.
Robert Jarvik invented an artificial heart which was implanted in patient Barney Clark in 1982. Clark survived for 112 days with the machine performing all the functions of his natural heart. Other implants have met with varying degrees of success, and Jarvik's research has added much to the body of medical knowledge. Birthplace: Midland.
