Michigan Minute

Today in 2014, Detroit experienced its heaviest one-day rainfall in nearly 90 years, causing flooding, power outages, and two deaths. In 1971, Dr. Adrian Kantrowitz performed the first American implantation of a mechanical heart pump at Mount Sinai Hospital, marking a significant medical advancement.

Today in 1697, the European ship Le Griffon docked in Michigan, only to sink in Lake Michigan shortly after. In 1950, Soviet radio claimed Michigan football players were regularly injured, but the U.S. offered Soviet reporters season passes to University of Michigan games to refute the claim.

In 2012, Flint native Claressa Shields won gold in the first women's middleweight boxing event at the London Olympics. Today is also Gillian Anderson's birthday. Known for "The X-Files" and "The Crown," Anderson grew up in Grand Rapids and attended City Middle-High School. On her graduation night, she broke into the school as a prank but managed to reduce charges to trespassing.

Today in 2000, after 27 years of litigation, an agreement was made between Michigan, the US Government, and various indigenous tribes regarding fishing restrictions, particularly nets that were killing fish en masse. In 1920, the Detroit Tigers shut out the New York Yankees 1-0 in the shortest game in American League history, lasting just one hour and thirteen minutes. Today also marks the birthday of Jim Blanchard, born in Detroit in 1942, who served as a two-term Michigan governor and later ambassador to Canada.

Today in 1926, Grand River Avenue, or Historic US-16, opened in Michigan, becoming the first paved road to stretch completely across the state. Connecting Detroit to Muskegon, it served as a primary highway for nearly four decades. Today is also National Lighthouse Day. Michigan boasts around 115 lighthouses, the most of any U.S. state. Built between 1818 and 1822, these lighthouses guided ships safely through the Great Lakes.

Today in 1942, Detroit restaurant owner Max Stephan was convicted of treason and sentenced to death for being a Nazi spy.

Today in 1975, Stevie Wonder signed a groundbreaking contract with Motown worth $37 million for seven albums over seven years.

Today in 1877, the first telephone in Michigan rang, owned by the Grand Rapids Plaster Company, a friend of Alexander Graham Bell.

Today in 1795, Chippewa Chief Matchekewis ceded Bois Blanc Island to the U.S. as part of the Treaty of Greenville, calling it "an extra and voluntary gift of the Chippewa nation." Following the Battle of Fallen Timbers, indigenous people ceded most of Ohio, part of Indiana, sixteen strategic sites on Michigan waterways, and Mackinac Island. In return, they were promised goods worth around $20,000. Over time, the island's pronunciation shifted to Bois Blanc, but locals still call it "Bob-lo." The island is twelve miles long, six miles wide, and has six lakes.

Today in 1923, the first car ferry service began across the Straits of Mackinac, with the wooden ferry Ariel carrying three cars on its inaugural voyage. The service operated until the Mackinac Bridge opened in 1957. Also today in 1932, Eddie Tolan, a Black American sprinter from Detroit, became the first non-European to be named “The World’s Fastest Human” by winning gold in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes at the Los Angeles Olympic Games.