Michigan Minute

On this day in 1836, William Austin Burt received a patent for his solar compass, which helped survey Michigan accurately despite magnetic interference. In 1954, Michigan Representative Ruth Thompson introduced a bill to ban mailing "obscene" rock and roll records, though it was not adopted. And in 2004, James Minder resigned as CEO of Smith & Wesson after his criminal past as a stick-up man was revealed.

On this day in 1779, British military governor Henry Hamilton surrendered Detroit to American Colonel George Rogers Clark, leading to the British ceding land west of the Appalachians. In 1861, Albion College was authorized to confer 4-year degrees on men and women, becoming one of the first coed colleges in the Midwest. And in 2018, rare blue ice formed in the Great Lakes, a phenomenon usually seen only in the Arctic.

On this day in 1844, Olivet College, Michigan’s first coeducational college and the first to admit black students, was founded. In 1928, Detroit outlawed marijuana, with medical use legalized in 2008 and recreational use in 2018. And in 1943, Sonny Eliot, legendary Detroit weatherman, was shot down over Germany during WWII, later having a 60-year career in TV and radio.

On this day in 1870, Michigan Agricultural College, now MSU, accepted women students for the first time, integrating them into all courses, including fieldwork. Today also marks the birthday of G. Mennen "Soapy" Williams, born in 1911, who served six terms as Michigan Governor, promoted the Mackinac Bridge, and later served on the Michigan Supreme Court.

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.