It’s National Michigan Day! Unique facts, interesting history about the Great Lakes State.

Happy Michigan Day!

National Michigan Day is celebrated every year on January 18. States are celebrated by the order they entered the union, starting in July, according to National Day Calendar®, which founded the holidays in 2017. Delaware, the first state to join, is celebrated July 13. That’s followed by National Pennsylvania Day on July 20 and eventually National Michigan Day on Jan. 18.

“This initiative is our way of honoring each state in the order they joined the Union, offering a dedicated day to celebrate the unique heritage, achievements, and spirit of each state,” its website says.

Michigan’s actual birthday is Jan. 26, 1837. It is also known as the Mitten State, the Wolverine State or even the Great Lakes State.

Here are some more fun facts, notable days in history and more about Michigan.

Important days in Michigan history*

• 1620: French explorers Étienne Brulé and Grenoble discover Lake Superior.
• 1701: Antoine de Lamothe Cadillac and his lieutenant set up a trading post on the Detroit River — Fort Pontchartrain —which is where Detroit is now located.
• 1792: Michigan holds its first election under the British Parliament’s Constitutional Act.
• 1837: Michigan is admitted to the Union as the 26th state after President Andrew Jackson signs the bill into law.
• 1896: Henry Ford builds his first experimental automobile, the quadricycle, at his home in Detroit.
• 1974: Gerald R. Ford of Grand Rapids becomes the 38th President of the U.S.
• 2002: Jennifer Granholm becomes the first female Governor of Michigan.

* according to NationalToday.com.

All things Michigan

Places to visit in Michigan

Interesting facts about Michigan

According to NationalToday.com, here are some fascinating facts about Michigan:

Michigan haters

• It’s not uncommon for folks to leave Michigan’s treasured top half completely out of maps or labeled as part of Wisconsin (come on!). Here’s seven times the U.P. was left off maps or labeled incorrectly.

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