On this day in 1875, George DeBaptiste, a key figure in the Underground Railroad, passed away in Detroit. Born in 1814, DeBaptiste was never enslaved and served as valet to President William Henry Harrison. He later moved to Indiana and then Detroit, where he continued his Underground Railroad activities, helping many escape to Canada. Detroit now honors his legacy with a historic site marker in Bricktown.

On this day in 1849, the Detroit city council called for the election of a City Physician to combat smallpox outbreaks. In 1865, Michigan African American troops helped liberate Charleston, South Carolina, with four Ypsilantians participating. And in 1965, Malcolm X, who spent much of his youth in Lansing, Michigan, was assassinated.

On this day in 1909, eight businessmen in Detroit founded the Hudson Motor Car Company, aiming to produce a car for under $1,000. Their first car rolled out in July of the same year. And in 1962, a crowd at MSU's Kellogg Center watched as John Glenn became the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth, marking a historic moment in space exploration.

On this day in 1976, President Gerald Ford signed the proclamation “An American Promise,” formally ending Executive Order 9066, which had led to the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII. And in 1940, Smokey Robinson was born in Detroit. He led the Motown group Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and later had a successful solo career, being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

On this day in 1842, the Michigan legislature approved the organization of a public school system in Detroit. In 1977, Karl Thomas from Troy ended a record 18-day solo hot-air balloon voyage across the U.S. And in 2014, Elana Meyers and Lauryn Williams, who spent part of her childhood in Detroit, won a silver medal in the two-person bobsled at the Winter Olympics.

On this day in 2018, Michigan held its 49th Spartan Stampede rodeo and selected its first African-American Rodeo Queen, Khalilah Smith, a Michigan State sophomore. The MSU Rodeo Club, founded in 1969, hosts this three-day event featuring bronco riding, bull riding, steer wrestling, calf roping, team roping, and barrel racing.

On this day in 1974, Joe Maka speared Michigan's largest recorded fish, a 7-foot, 193-pound sturgeon, at Mullett Lake. Also, in 1819, William Woodbridge was elected as Michigan's first member of the US House of Representatives, though he was a non-voting member since Michigan wasn't yet a state.

On this day in 1859, Lansing, Michigan, was incorporated as a city after being sold as a non-existent "Biddle City." Also, celebrating the birthday of Brian Holland, a key Motown songwriter born in 1941.

On this day in 1914, Nancy Harkness Love, a pioneer in women's military aviation, was born in Houghton, Michigan. In 1933, Governor William Comstock declared a two-week banking holiday to prevent a rush on Michigan’s banks. In 1967, Aretha Franklin recorded "Respect," which became one of the greatest songs of all time.

On this day in 1855, the Michigan Legislature moved to protect escaped enslaved people by prohibiting the use of county jails for their detention. In 1938, Lansing experienced its worst flood in two decades, with streets turning into rivers and significant damage across the city.