Michigan Minute

On this day in 1926, legendary magician Harry Houdini passed away at Detroit’s Grace Hospital. After being punched unexpectedly in the stomach while unbraced during a Montreal stop on his tour, Houdini performed in Detroit with a high fever. The blows led to or worsened appendicitis, and Houdini died at age 52 on Halloween. His last words were reportedly, "I'm tired of fighting..."

On this day in 1943, University of Michigan football star Tom Harmon survived a dogfight over Japanese-occupied China during WWII, earning the Purple Heart and Silver Star. In 1956, 52 boys at Romeo Community High School were told to trim their Elvis-style sideburns or leave school. All complied after barbers offered free haircuts.

On this day in 1901, Roy D. Chapin embarked on a challenging journey from Detroit to New York in a Curved Dash Oldsmobile, overcoming multiple mechanical issues to make it to the Auto Show on time. Also today in 1975, Michael Schur, creator of Parks and Recreation and The Good Place, was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

On this day in 1912, stunt pilot Art Smith and Aimee Cour made history with the first aerial elopement after crashing their plane en route to Michigan for marriage. In 2013, Matt Wesaw became the first Indigenous Director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, having led the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi and its gaming authority.

On this day in 1992, the Keweenaw National Historic Park was established in Calumet, MI, honoring Michigan's rich mining history. Also, in 1876, after witnessing Alexander Graham Bell’s invention, Linus Stannard founded Michigan’s first independent telephone company in Ontonagon County, connecting Rockland and Greenland with a private line.

On this day in 1975, Paula Faris, journalist and TV personality for ABC News, was born in Jackson, Michigan. Faris co-anchored Good Morning America from 2014 to 2018 and was an Emmy-nominated panelist on The View. Also today in 1825, the Erie Canal officially opened, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson River. Championed by New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, the canal's c...

On this day in 1918, Lucy A. Sloan, a Michigan scholar, educator, author, and suffragist, passed away in Mt. Pleasant. Sloan was a champion of women's rights and helped found the first literary society for women at Central Michigan University. On this same date in 1889, the first permanent connection between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas was established with an underwater telephone cable a...

On this day in 1901, Annie Edson Taylor, a widowed schoolteacher from Bay City, Michigan, made history by becoming the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel on her 63rd birthday. Desperate for work, she hoped the stunt would lead to speaking engagements, but it didn’t pan out as planned. Despite facing many challenges, including a manager who stole her barrel, she remains forever known...

On this day in 1934, Jean and Jeanette Piccard launched a balloon from Dearborn, Michigan, reaching 10.9 miles in altitude before landing in Ohio, accompanied by Jean’s pet turtle, Fleur de Lys. Additionally, in 2001, Margaret Chiara was unanimously confirmed as Michigan’s first female U.S. Attorney, serving the Western District until her removal in 2007, later commenting on the political nature o...

On this day in 1912, Detroit-born photographer Harry Callahan was born. Initially working for Chrysler, he shifted to photography after hearing Ansel Adams speak, later earning the National Medal of Arts in 1996. Also, in 1955, Michigan's first official historic marker was dedicated at Michigan State University, honoring its founding as the nation’s first state-supported agricultural college, as o...

On this day in 1977, the stunning Sleeping Bear Dunes, inspired by a Chippewa legend of a mother bear and her cubs, officially became a National Lakeshore. Additionally, 1847 marks the birth of Will Carleton in Lenawee County, known as 'The Bard of Michigan.' His most famous poem, "Over the Hill to the Poor House," explores themes of aging and family.

In the 1950s, 26-year-old WWII veteran Milo Radulovich, a meteorology student at the University of Michigan, was dismissed from the Army Reserves as a security risk due to his family's background. Edward Murrow featured his story in a broadcast on October 20, highlighting the persecution amid McCarthy's witch hunts. The public response was overwhelmingly supportive, leading to Radulovich being cle...

On this day in 1903, Kalamazoo voters approved funding for the Western State Normal School, later Western Michigan University, with an impressive 8-to-1 margin. In 1907, Governor Fred Warner pushed for public voting in primaries, overcoming resistance within his party. His victory reshaped the political landscape, leading to his third term as governor.

On this day in 1978, the USPS released one of two Christmas stamps in Holly, Michigan, a treat for stamp collectors. Additionally, we celebrate the birthday of Willie Horton, born in 1942. A beloved figure in Detroit, Horton played 14 seasons with the Tigers and worked for peace during the 1967 rebellion. In 2004, Michigan established Willie Horton Day in his honor.

Happy birthday to Queen Naija, born in Ypsilanti in 1995! A singer and YouTuber, she gained fame as a contestant on the 13th season of American Idol. After self-releasing her hit "Medicine" in 2017, she signed with Capitol Records. Her debut album, Missunderstood, released in 2020, debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200, with five singles reaching certified platinum.

On this day in 1918, amid the Spanish influenza outbreak, U-of-M students in Ann Arbor received facemasks, while Dr. R. M. Olin upheld a quarantine in East Lansing, prioritizing public health. Meanwhile, in 1946, Gordie Howe, later known as "Mr. Hockey," made his NHL debut at Olympia Stadium, scoring his first goal and marking the beginning of a legendary career.

On this day in 1900, a dark chapter unfolded for the Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa indigenous peoples in Michigan. After years of treaties with the federal government, a land developer illegally claimed their 375 acres, using fabricated back taxes as a pretext. With the help of local law enforcement, the developer forcibly relocated the community, burning their homes. The only surviving st...

Born today in 1940 in Detroit, Dave DeBusschere was a dual-sport athlete who played both Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox and basketball for the Detroit Pistons in 1962. He chose basketball, becoming a coach-player and later joining the New York Knicks, where he played a key role in the NBA-ABA merger in the 1970s. After his passing in 2003, the University of Detroit Mercy honored h...

On this day in 1845, Douglass Houghton, Michigan's state geologist, drowned in Lake Superior. He mapped much of the state and is honored with the namesake of Michigan's tallest waterfall, as well as the city, county, and lake of Houghton. A former mayor of Detroit, he lobbied for federal funding to study the territory's mineral wealth. Tragically, his boat capsized during an exploration, leading t...

On this day in 1921, Art Clokey was born in Detroit. While his name may not be widely recognized, his creation, Gumby, is iconic. Clokey spent his childhood playing with mud, which his family called "gumbo," and after losing his father in a car crash at eight, he drew inspiration from a photo of his dad's unique hairstyle for Gumby's shape. Gumby first appeared in the mid-1950s on the Howdy Doody...

On this day in 1910, an op-ed in the Michigan Daily called for University of Michigan football players to wear numbers on their jerseys, but coach Fielding H. Yost opposed it, fearing it would hinder teamwork. It wasn’t until 1916 that players finally got numbers. Additionally, in 1974, Sandra Thompson was sworn in as Michigan's first Black female trooper, later becoming the first Black woman serg...

On this day, the Detroit Tigers celebrated two World Series victories: their second title in 1945 against the Chicago Cubs and their third in 1968 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Also born today in 1954 was voice-over artist Rob Paulsen from Grand Blanc, known for his iconic roles in Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain, including the popular "Nations of the World" song.

On this day in 1888, Martha Strickland Clark became the first woman to argue before the Michigan Supreme Court, winning a landmark divorce case in Thompson v. Thomson. She went on to be inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame in 2006. In 1975, KISS brought their rock spectacle to Cadillac, Michigan, performing at the high school’s Homecoming after hearing how their music motivated the foot...

On this day in 1871, fires broke out across Michigan, devastating areas from Holland to Manistee and the Thumb region, claiming over 50 lives. In 2020, the FBI shocked the nation by announcing the arrest of militia members plotting to kidnap Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer. As US Attorney Matthew Schneider stated, "Disagreements should never amount to violence."

Known as "Shipwreck Alley," Thunder Bay near Alpena, Michigan, was designated a National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve today in 2000. In 1927, after five years of construction, the Detroit Institute of Arts opened its doors, marking Detroit as a hub of culture and progress.