Time Zones & Musical Milestones in Michigan | November 18

On this day in 1883, railroads established American time zones, assigning Michigan to central time, although Detroit resisted until 1900. In 1931, the state legislature adopted eastern time to provide more evening daylight. Additionally, 1927 marked the birth of Detroit’s Hank Ballard, an early rock and roller whose song “The Twist” gained worldwide fame after being re-recorded by Chubby Checker in 1958.