1. The July 16 decision by
Consumers Power to shut down the
Midland Nuclear Power Plant which was 85% complete, but had experienced massive cost overruns and total costs in excess of $3.6 billion;
2. (tie) The takeover of the Michigan Senate by Republicans in February 1984 following special elections to replace two Democratic Senators (
Philip Mastin and David Serotkin) who had been ousted in 1983 recall elections targeting legislators who voted in favor of a 38% income tax increase;[3]
2. (tie) The resurgence of the automobile industry, including increased sales and profits and the announcement by Mazda that it would build a $450 million plant in
Flat Rock, Michigan;
4. The
United Auto Workers' six-day strike against 17 General Motors plants in September;
5. (tie) The defeat of Proposition C, a ballot initiative dubbed "Voter's Choice" which would have rolled back taxes to 1981 levels, required voter approval for future tax increases, and reduced Detroit's non-resident income tax;
5. (tie) The resurgence of the state's economy, including a decline in unemployment and a state budget surplus of $282 million;
7. The sentencing of Upjohn heir Roger A. Gauntlett, age 43, to "chemical castration" (through five years of treatment with Depo-Provera) for the repeated rape of his teenage stepdaughter.[4] (The Depo-Provera aspect of the sentence was later reversed on appeal.)
8. (tie) The tarnishing of Detroit's image due to violent outbreaks in October, including a shooting death and other violence amid the celebration of the Detroit Tigers' October 14 victory in the
1984 World Series,[5] and hundreds of fires set in Detroit on October 30, "Devil's night";[6]
8. (tie) The federal civil rights trial, following protests over lenient state court sentencing (probation and fines), of Chrysler plant superintendent
Ronald Ebens and his stepson, Michael Nitz, in the racially motivated
Murder of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American man who was beaten to death in June 1982 with a baseball bat after an altercation at the Fancy Pants Lounge, a Woodward Avenue strip club. Ebens was convicted on June 28 in the federal case and sentenced on September 18 to 25 years in federal prison.[7] (The appellate court later ordered a new trial that resulted in Ebens' acquittal on May 1, 1987.)
10. (tie) The comeback of
Chrysler Corporation after repaying federal loan guarantees in 1983 and achieving record earnings of $803 million in the quarter from April to June 1984; and
10. (tie) The House of Judah controversies, including the trial and conviction of three members of the religious camp in South Haven arising out of the July 1983 beating death of 12-year-old John Yarbough, the conviction of another member for raping a 13-year-old girl, the removal of 66 children from the camp, and the death of two other children in a mobile home fire in October 1984.[8][9]
In the
1980 United States census, Michigan was recorded as having a population of 9,259,000 persons, ranking as the eighth most populous state in the country. By 1990, the state's population had grown only marginally by 0.4% to 9,259,000 persons.
Cities
The following is a list of cities in Michigan with a population of at least 50,000 based on 1980 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1970 and 1990 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 1980 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1970 and 1990 are included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Counties that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.
May 1984 - "
Ghostbusters", the title song from the movie recorded by Detroit native
Ray Parker Jr. was released and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August.
November 1984 -
Madonna's album Like a Virgin was released and reached No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. The album included hit singles "
Material Girl" (No. 2), "
Like a Virgin" (No. 1), and "
Angel" (No. 5).
Chronology of events
January
January 2 - Coleman Young celebrated the 10th anniversary of his inauguration as Mayor of Detroit.
January 2 - No. 8 Michigan lost to No. 3 Auburn by a 9–7 score in the
1984 Sugar Bowl.
Al Del Greco kicked three field goals for Auburn.
January 6 - The Census Bureau issued a report showing the cities over 50,000 population with the highest percentage of homes occupied by their owners. Redford Township ranked first in the nation with a 91.4% rate of owner-occupied housing. Livonia ranked second at 90.24%; Dearborn Heights was fifth with 85.76%; and St. Clair Shores was seventh with 84.06%.[15]
January 8 - Jesse Jackson held a rally attended by 7,000 persons at Calihan Hall at the University of Detroit in support of his presidential campaign.
January 9 - The Supreme Court rejected a challenge to a Detroit Police Department requiring promotion of equal numbers of white and black officers.
January 9 - General Motors' Board of Directors approved a reorganization consolidating the company's five car divisions into two new groups, one for large cars and the other for small cars.
January 11 - Fred Cummings resigned as director of the Detroit Institute of Arts after months of controversy over his management of the museum.
January 20 - Two House of Judah members were sentenced to a year in prison and five years probation for child cruelty in the beating death of a 12-year-old boy.
January 21 - Detroit recorded a temperature of 21 degrees below zero, the coldest recording in the city since 1872.
January 26 - Astronaut
Jack Lousma announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination to challenge
Carl Levin for his seat in the U.S. Senate
January 29 -
Isaiah Thomas was named the MVP of the NBA All-Star Game.
January 30 - Upjohn pharmaceutical heir Roger Gauntlett was sentenced to one year in county jail and five years of probation and ordered to take and experimental drug to reduce the male sex drive. He had been convicted of repeatedly raping his teenage stepdaughter over a seven-year period. The drug, Depo-Provera, was manufactured by Upjohn. In announcing the sentence, the judge described the treatment as "castration by chemical means".[4]
January 31 - In special elections to fill the seats of two Democratic members of the Michigan Senate (both had been recalled for supporting an income tax increase), Republican candidates won both contests. The victories gave Republicans control of the Senate for the first time in 10 years.[3]
A Michigan State University judicial board found the school's marching band director, Stanley DeRusha, had sexually harassed six women students, including coerced oral sex and multiple instances of sexual touching. DeRusha had been the band director since 1978.[16]
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Births
January 12 -
Scott Olsen, baseball pitcher, in Kalamazoo
February 9 -
Maurice Ager, basketball player, in Detroit