Sunday 2nd February 1868

Born on this day, Charles Brady King, American engineer and entrepreneur and inventor. King was the first person in Detroit to design, build and drive a self-propelled automobile – 3 months before Henry Ford built his automobile. The Detroit Journal of March 7, 1896, reports that King drove his motor-powered vehicle down Woodward Avenue – being the first person in Detroit to build and drive such a vehicle. The Journal also reported that King made and sold the first complete automobile in Detroit.