Michigan (MI).

• Region: Upper Midwest
• Population: 10,034,113 (ranked 10th; 2022 estimate)
• Capital: Lansing (pop. 112,537; 2022 estimate)
• Largest city: Detroit (pop. 620,376; 2022 estimate)
• Number of counties: 83
• State nickname: Wolverine State
• State motto: Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice (If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you)
• State flag: Blue field with state coat of arms

Michigan entered the Union on January 26, 1837, as the twenty-sixth state. Part of the Upper Midwest, the "Great Lakes State" takes its name from the fact that it borders four of the five Great Lakes. Michigan enjoys a unique geographic shape: It is divided into two peninsulas (Upper and Lower) by the Straits of Mackinac, which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The Sault Ste. Marie Canals link Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Michigan is bordered on the north and east by the Canadian province of Ontario, on the west by Wisconsin, and on the south by Indiana and Ohio.

The state is known for its automotive industry, centered in Detroit (also known as "Motor City"), as well as for the distinctive "Motown" musical sound that developed there. Other important industries have included furniture (in Grand Rapids) and breakfast cereal (in Battle Creek).

State Name: The state's name comes from the Ojibwa word "meicigama," or "michi-gami," which means "large lake." Michigan is nicknamed the "Great Lakes State" or the "Wolverine State."

Capital:Lansing has served as the state capital since 1847. Detroit served as the state capital for ten years prior to that date. An important manufacturing center, Lansing lies at the junction of the Red Cedar, Sycamore, and Grand Rivers.

Flag: Michigan's state flag, adopted in 1911, has a dark blue union, or background. In the middle of the union is displayed the state coat of arms, which consists of a blue shield supported by an elk on one side and a moose on the other. Above the shield is a bald eagle, the symbol of the United States. The face of the shield depicts the sun rising over a lake. A frontiersman standing on a nearby peninsula holds a gun in one hand and is raising the other hand, which represents Michigan's peace-loving nature as well as its citizens' ability to defend themselves.

The flag includes three Latin mottoes. Above the shield is a red scroll bearing the motto, "E pluribus unum" (Out of many, one) referring to the union of states in one nation. The blue shield bears the motto "Tuebor" (I will defend). The white scroll beneath the shield bears the motto "Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenum Circumspice" (If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around).

Official Symbols

• Flower: Apple blossom
• Bird: American robin
• Tree: White pine
• Fish: Trout; brook trout
• Song: "My Michigan" by Giles Kavanagh and H. O'Reilly Clint

State and National Historic Sites

• Civilian Conservation Corps Museum (Roscommon)
• Father Marquette National Memorial (St. Ignace)
• Fayette Historic State Park and Townsite (Garden)
• Colonial Michilimackinac State Park (Mackinaw City)
• Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse (Mackinaw City)
• Mann House (Concord)
• Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Detroit)
• Sanilac Petroglyphs (Cass City)
• Walker Tavern (Brooklyn)

DEMOGRAPHICS

• Population: 10,034,113 (ranked 10th; 2022 estimate)
• Population density: 178.0/sq mi (2021 estimate)
• Urban population: 73.5% (2020 estimate)
• Rural population: 26.5% (2020 estimate)
• Population under 18: 21.0% (2022 estimate)
• Population over 65: 18.7% (2022 estimate)
• White alone: 78.8% (2022 estimate)
• Black or African American alone: 14.1% (2022 estimate)
• Hispanic or Latino: 5.7% (2022 estimate)
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.7% (2022 estimate)
• Asian alone: 3.5% (2022 estimate)
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.0% (2022 estimate)
• Two or More Races: 2.8% (2022 estimate)
• Per capita income: $34,768 (ranked 28th; 2021)
• Unemployment: 4.2% (2022)

American Indians:Algonquian tribes inhabited Michigan when Europeans first entered the region during the seventeenth century. The main tribes were the Chippewa (Ojibwa), the Ottawa, and the Potawatomi, with smaller tribes including the Miami and the Mascouten. The tribes had generally good dealings with the French trappers and traders, with a few exceptions. This was in large part because the French were mainly interested in trade, not settlement. However, relations were quite different with the English, who viewed the west as a potential extension of their empire.

Through constant warfare and one-sided treaties, American settlers gradually forced most of the state's American Indians out of Michigan. The 1930 census counted just 7,080 American Indians in the state. The situation has gradually improved over the course of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. According to 2022 census estimates, the American Indian population was 0.7 percent of the total state population. The state's twelve federally recognized tribes include Bay Mills Indian Community; Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians; Hannahville Indian Community; Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi; Keweenaw Bay Indian Community; Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Michigan; Little River Band of Ottawa Indians; Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians; Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan; Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians (Michigan and Indiana); Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan; and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Michigan.

ENVIRONMENT AND GEOGRAPHY

• Total area: 96,714 sq mi (ranked 11th)
• Land area: 56,539 sq mi (58.5% of total area)
• Water area: 40,175 sq mi (41.5% of total area)
• Shoreline: 3,288 miles
• National parks: 5
• Highest point: Mount Arvon (1,979 feet)
• Lowest point: Lake Erie (571 feet)
• Highest temperature: 112° F (Stanwood; Mio Hydro Plant, July 13, 1936)
• Lowest temperature: -51° F (Vanderbilt, February 9, 1934)

Topography: Michigan shares in the landscape of the north-central Midwest. Much of the land in both peninsulas is hilly, especially toward the northern part of the state. Northern Michigan is heavily forested and also possesses many lakes. The Upper Peninsula's eastern section is flat and swampy. The western part of the state is mountainous and covered with trees.

Major Lakes

• Black Lake
• Burt Lake
• Houghton Lake
• Jordan Lake
• Lake Angelus
• Lake Charlevoix
• Lake Gogebic
• Lake Michigan
• Lake Orion
• Mullett Lake
• Ocqueoc Lake
• Portage Lake
• Torch Lake

Major Rivers

• Big Garlic River
• Black River
• Carp River
• Chippewa River
• Detroit River
• Escanaba River
• Grand River
• Huron River
• Kalamazoo River
• Muskegon River
• Pere Marquette River
• Presque Isle River
• Ontonagon River
• Red Cedar River
• St. Clair River
• St. Marys River
• Yellow Dog River

State and National Parks: Michigan possesses more than one hundred state parks, covering more than 280,000 acres of land. Many of these are natural areas, such as the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. Areas managed by the National Park Service include historic sites such as the Keweenaw National Historical Park and the River Raisin National Battlefield Park, as well as scenic areas such as Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The Motor Cities National Heritage Area commemorates the state's automotive history, including General Motors and Chrysler. Isle Royale National Park is an island in Lake Superior and is considered one of the most remote national parks in the country.

Natural Resources: Michigan has a wealth of natural resources, including agriculture, fishing, forests, and minerals. The state boasts prime conditions for agriculture, including a generally temperate climate and substantial rainfall. Forestry resources support the wood industry, but also provide a pleasant setting for tourists. The state's mineral resources include copper, iron, and bromine, as well as industrial minerals such as cement and gravel. The state's lakes, including the Great Lakes, provide substantial harvests of fish and shellfish for commercial and sport fishing alike.

Plants and Animals: Northern Michigan still contains many wild animals, especially white-tailed deer and black bear. There are many smaller animals, including badger, coyote, gray wolf, and red fox. Bird species include the great blue heron, the peregrine falcon, and Kirtland's warbler, as well as game species such as pheasant and wild geese. Fish species include darters and lake sturgeon, as well as sport fish such as Atlantic salmon and largemouth bass.

Much of Michigan, as already noted, is covered with trees. This is partly original growth, but partly due to reforesting. Most of the state's forests are comprised of coniferous species such as pine. Other common species include hickory and maple. Wildflowers grow profusely in much of the state, including species such as phlox, violets, buttercups, and even the prickly pear cactus.

Climate: Michigan enjoys a relatively temperate climate due to its proximity to the Great Lakes. Because of the presence of so much deep water nearby, Michigan's climate (especially in the Lower Peninsula) is generally more temperate than those of neighboring Midwestern states further inland.

The Upper Peninsula's average annual temperature is about 39 degrees Fahrenheit, while the southern part of the Lower Peninsula has an average annual temperature of about 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Because of climate change, much of the state has experienced warming. The area around Lake Michigan receives the most rainfall—around 60 inches. The interior receives between approximately 42 and 47 inches of rain each year, though climate change has resulted in more frequent heavy rainstorms and flooding.

EDUCATION AND CULTURE

Major Colleges and Universities

• Albion College (Albion)
• Alma College (Alma)
• Andrews University (Berrien Springs)
• Central Michigan University (Mount Pleasant)
• Concordia University Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor)
• Cranbrook Academy of Art (Bloomfield Hills)
• Eastern Michigan University (Ypsilanti)
• Finlandia University (Hancock)
• Kalamazoo College (Kalamazoo)
• Lake Superior State University (Sault Ste. Marie)
• Michigan State University (East Lansing)
• Michigan Technological University (Houghton)
• Northern Michigan University (Marquette)
• Oakland University (Rochester)
• Saginaw Valley State University (University Center)
• Wayne State University (Detroit)
• Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo)
• University of Detroit Mercy (Detroit)
• University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)

Major Museums

• Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (Detroit)
• Detroit Historical Museum (Detroit)
• Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit)
• Dossin Great Lakes Museum (Detroit)
• Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum (Grand Rapids)
• Grand Rapids Public Museum (Grand Rapids)
• Greenfield Village (Dearborn)
• Henry Ford Museum (Dearborn)
• Kingman Museum (Battle Creek)
• Michigan Historical Museum (Lansing)
• R. E. Olds Transportation Museum (Lansing)
• Sloan Museum (Flint)
• University of Michigan Museum of Art (Ann Arbor)

Major Libraries

• Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
• Detroit Public Library (Detroit)
• Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library (Ann Arbor)
• Hackley Public Library (Muskegon)
• Library of Michigan (Lansing)
• Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University (Detroit)
• William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)

Media

Michigan has several major media markets, of which Detroit is the largest. Other important markets include Lansing (the state capital), Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Battle Creek. Detroit has several daily newspapers, including the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News. Grand Rapids' daily newspaper is the Grand Rapids Press. The Lansing State Journal covers daily news from the capital.

ECONOMY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

• Gross domestic product (in millions $USD): 620,695.6 (ranked 14th; 2022 estimate)
• GDP percent change: 1.8%

Major Industries: The state is famous throughout the world for its automotive industry, which is largely centered in and around Detroit. The state's auto industry received financing from the United States Treasury following the 2008 global financial crisis. It has also received other government subsidies, such as grants from the US Department of Energy for the development of electric vehicles. The manufacturing of goods in areas outside of the automotive industry has also remained significant.

The state's largest industry as a percentage of total GDP in 2022 was finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing, with 17.3 percent. The state is also heavily agricultural, focusing on grains, fruit, dairy, poultry, and cattle. Agriculture directly supports the breakfast cereal industry, which has experienced a decline in the twenty-first century but has traditionally been centered in cities such as Battle Creek. Detroit has had a thriving music industry since the 1950s, when producer Berry Gordy and others developed the "Motown" sound. Mining and the chemical industry are also important.

Tourism: Michigan has developed an extensive tourism business; visitors come to the state for its scenic beauty and outdoor sports as well as cultural activities in the larger cities. Michigan offers a wide range of natural and cultural attractions. The northern part of the state, with its lakes and extensive forests, offers a wide array of nature and sport activities including biking, boating, fishing, and hunting. Michigan cities including Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Lansing offer museums and historic sites, as well as extensive shopping. Tourist spending provided over $26 billion to the state's economy in 2019. This number decreased significantly to $18.8 billion in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but was expected to rise in 2021 and beyond. In 2022, some 125 million visitors traveled to Michigan, contributing $27.3 billion to the state's economy.

Energy Production: Nuclear power, natural gas, and renewable energy sources are Michigan's main sources of energy production. The state has thousands of natural gas wells—one of which, the Antrim Gas Field, is listed as one of the top one hundred natural gas fields in the United States. With nearly 1.1 trillion cubic feet, Michigan has the largest underground natural gas storage capacity in the nation. Electricity generation in Michigan is dominated by natural-gas fired power plants, nuclear power plants, coal-fired plants, and renewable resources such as wind power. The year 2020 saw the first time in which natural gas generated the largest share of the state's electricity at 33 percent. That number rose to 34 percent in 2022.

There are several petroleum pipelines crossing Michigan, but only one refinery. The refinery is located in Detroit and was upgraded in 2012 to allow for the processing of heavy crude oils from Canada. The upgrade increased capacity to 140,000 barrels per day.

Agriculture: Michigan is a heavily agricultural state, despite the strength of industrial cities such as Detroit. Farmers produce grains, fruit, dairy, poultry, and cattle. It is also one of the top states for cut Christmas trees.

Airports: Michigan has several international airports and many smaller regional and municipal airports. The largest are Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Bishop International Airport in Flint, and Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids. Some smaller airports are the Ann Arbor Municipal Airport and the Capital Region International Airport in Lansing.

Seaports: Michigan has a number of important maritime outlets to the rest of the world. Canada is just across the border, and other countries are reachable via the St. Lawrence Seaway. One of the most important seaports is the Port of Detroit, operated by the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority. Each year, foreign goods traveling on state waterways through Detroit add significant income to the Michigan economy; the revenue generally generated by businesses directly dependent on the cargo handled at the Port of Detroit exceeds $1.5 billion. Commodities handled through this port include crude materials, manufactured goods, petroleum and other chemicals, and food products. Other ports include Port Huron, Algonac, and Sault Ste. Marie.

GOVERNMENT

• Governor: Gretchen Whitmer (Democrat)
• Present constitution date: April 1, 1963 (effective January 1, 1964)
• Electoral votes: 15
• Number of counties: 83
• Violent crime rate: 478.0 (per 100,000 residents) (2020)
• Death penalty: No (abolished in 1846)

Constitution: The current Michigan constitution was adopted in 1963 and became effective on January 1, 1964. Since then, it has been amended several times. The three previous constitutions were adopted in 1835, 1850, and 1908.

Branches of Government

Executive: The state's chief executive is the governor, who is elected to a four-year term and may serve two consecutive terms. Duties include proposing legislation, vetoing or approving legislation passed by the legislature, and serving as commander-in-chief of the state's armed forces. The lieutenant governor, who serves as acting governor in case of the governor's absence, assumes that office in case the incumbent dies, resigns, or is removed from office. Other duties include serving as president of the state senate, with a vote only in the case of a tie. The lieutenant governor is also limited to two consecutive terms. The other constitutional officers are the secretary of state and the attorney general.

Legislative: The Michigan state legislature is comprised of two houses. The upper house, the state senate, has thirty-eight members. The House of Representatives has 110 members.

Judicial: Michigan's judicial system includes the state supreme court, the court of appeals, and numerous lesser courts. The supreme court has a chief justice and six justices, who are all elected for eight-year terms. Every two years, the justices select the chief justice from among their members. The high court serves as the state's court of last resort, focusing on constitutional issues. Courts of general jurisdiction include circuit court, district court, probate court, small claims court, court of claims, and bankruptcy court. The circuit court handles civil cases involving claims above $25,000 and cases involving possible prison time. The district court involves lesser claims.

HISTORY

1668 Father Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit missionary, establishes the mission post of Sault Sainte Marie.

1671 Fr. Marquette establishes the mission post of St. Ignace.

1673 Continuing his exploration of the Great Lakes Region, Fr. Marquette leads a seven-man expedition (including Louis Jolliet) in two canoes from St. Ignace up the Mississippi River. They explore the northern shores of Lake Michigan. He dies two years later, but the French continue exploring the Great Lakes region.

1679René-Robert Cavalier, Sieur de la Salle, explores the Midwest, including the upper Great Lakes. He constructs the Fort Miami on the site of present-day St. Joseph. This is the first European settlement in Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

1701 Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, a forty-three-year-old French army officer, establishes a settlement known as Le Detroit, that is, "the straits," at the waterway between Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie. He also constructs a fortification known as Fort Pontchartrain, named for King Louis XIV's chief minister-the Comte de Pontchartrain.

1702 Marie-Therese Guyon Cadillac, the wife of Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, joins her husband at Fort Pontchartrain. She and Anne Picote de Belestre de Tonti, the wife of another settler, are the first two European women to settle in what is now Michigan.

1755–63 The French and Indian War. The British and French battle for control of the North American continent. Pontiac, chief of the Ottawa Indians, leads an unsuccessful three-hundred-man attack in 1763 against British-held Fort Detroit. As part of the peace treaty ending the war, King George III of Britain publishes the Proclamation of 1763, forbidding English settlement west of the Alleghenies. This outrages the American colonists, and helps cause the American Revolution. The British also anger the Americans by levying taxes to support the troops garrisoned in the western lands.

1775–83 The American Revolution. The western lands, including present-day Michigan, are the site of fighting between the British (and their Indian allies) and the American settlers. The 1783 Treaty of Paris, which ends the war, provides that the British will turn over Detroit to the United States.

1794 US General "Mad Anthony" Wayne defeats the Indians at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, near present-day Toledo, Ohio. This victory breaks Indian power in the Northwest Territory and opens up the region for American settlement. It also helps convince the British to give up Detroit, as required by the 1783 Treaty of Paris.

1796 The British finally give up Detroit to the United States. The event has been delayed for thirteen years after the 1783 peace treaty, because of British reluctance to give up this strategic location.

1805 Congress organizes the Michigan Territory.

1812–15 The War of 1812. Michigan is the scene of fierce fighting in the early part of the war. In 1812, Territorial Governor William Hull leads an invasion of Canada but this fails miserably. Later that year, Brigadier General James Winchester leads a mixed force of Kentucky militia and US Army troops against the British at the Battle of the River Raisin. This battle is followed by an Indian massacre of wounded Americans.

1822Henry R. Schoolcraft is appointed the US government's "Indian agent" for Michigan. He becomes the first American to study the Michigan tribes, producing numerous anthropological works on their history and culture.

1830s–50s The Underground Railroad is active in Michigan, as in many other Northern States, helping fugitive slaves escape from the South. The state's antislavery feeling helps lead to the formation of the Republican Party—organized in 1854 in Jackson.

1835 In April, the Michigan Territory fights a brief and almost bloodless boundary conflict with Ohio. The conflict becomes known as the "Toledo War," as it revolves around the region containing present-day Toledo. Ohio wants the so-called "Toledo Strip" because the land offers access to Lake Erie. Michigan, however, claims that this goes against congressional guidelines established in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. President Andrew Jackson puts a quick end to the fighting, and Congress awards the "Toledo Strip" to Ohio. Most of the Upper Peninsula, though, goes to Michigan.

1837 On January 26, Michigan becomes the twenty-sixth state to enter the Union.

1838 The state government begins construction on the Clinton and Kalamazoo Canal. The project is intended to connect Lakes Michigan and St. Clair.

1853 Construction begins on the mile-long canal at Saulte Sainte Marie, connecting Lakes Huron and Superior. The canal is completed two years later.

1854 The Republican Party is organized in Jackson, on an antislavery platform. This leads to the creation of a national Republican Party in 1856.

1861–65 The Civil War. The state contributes 90,000 troops and suffers 15,000 military casualties. In 1861, the 1st Michigan Regiment is the first western regiment to arrive in Washington, DC, following the Southern States' secession. In 1863, the 24th Michigan Infantry Regiment takes part in the Battle of Gettysburg.

1863Ellen Gould Harmon White, of Battle Creek, founds the General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists. Two years earlier, she had founded the church's Michigan Conference, the nation's first organization of Seventh-Day Adventists.

1867 Women in Michigan gain the vote in school elections but not in general elections.

1896Charles King and Henry Ford, both of Detroit, conduct separate test drives of gasoline-powered automobiles. That same year, Ransom Olds of Lansing builds the world's first factory dedicated solely to automobile production.

1908 William Durant establishes the General Motors Co.

1914 Approximately 78 percent of United States automobiles are constructed in Michigan.

1917 The State Legislature passes a measure allowing women to vote in presidential elections.

1925 The Legislature passes the Port Districts Act, to coordinate regional efforts in maritime commerce.

1933 The Detroit Wayne County Port District is created to oversee the waters of Wayne County. It becomes the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority in 1978, with Henry Ford II as the first chair of the board of directors.

1935 The United Auto Workers (UAW) is founded by Michigan labor leaders and workers.

1941–45World War II. A Michigan woman, Nancy Harkness Love of Houghton, founds Women's Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPS, which transports military aircraft from base to base.

1950 Ruth Thompson, of Muskegon, is elected to the House of Representatives, becoming the first woman to represent Michigan in the US Congress.

1957 The Mackinac Bridge opens after three years of construction, a suspension bridge connecting the Upper and Lower Peninsulas.

1959Berry Gordy Jr. founds the Motown Record Corporation, which features the music of black artists and creates many recording stars. The Detroit-based company takes its name from the city's nickname, "Motor Town"

1973 Detroit elects its first African American mayor, Coleman Young, to the first of four terms.

1980 The United Methodist Church elects Marjorie Swank Matthews of Onaway as its first female bishop.

1983 Michigan's unemployment rate soars to 17 percent, the highest since the Depression.

1993 Alta DeRoo, a resident of Paw Paw, is one of the first two female Navy personnel to receive air-combat training as a Navy pilot.

1997 In an effort to relieve statewide poverty and promote economic development, the state designates certain rural and urban areas as "renaissance zones," in which residents and businesses are granted a fifteen-year amnesty from income tax.

1999 GM closes its last remaining Michigan plant (in Buick City), ending a string of closures since the mid-1980s that resulted in the layoff of tens of thousands of auto workers.

2003 Citizens of the economically depressed town of Benton Harbor riot following the June 16 death of a Black motorcyclist, who was killed in a high-speed chase by White police officers from neighboring Benton Township. After two nights of racial tension and rioting, a state of emergency is declared and state police are called in to restore order.

2005 General Motors unveils a major restructuring, closing twelve plants, decreasing its work force, and cutting costs across the board.

2007 For the first time, Toyota Motor Corp. sells more cars and trucks than General Motors worldwide. Automobile industry analysts say Toyota’s focus on fuel-efficient vehicles and the US market shift away from large SUVs has decreased General Motor’s production figures.

2009 On Christmas Day, twenty-three-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempts to light an explosive device on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 bound for Detroit. The device fails to ignite, and Abdulmutallab is detained. The plane makes an emergency landing at Detroit's Metro Airport. The suspect is later connected with the terrorist organization al-Qaeda, renewing concerns worldwide about airline security, eight years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

2011 Governor Rick Snyder signs legislation authorizing the state to pay fewer weeks of unemployment benefits than any other state in the nation.

The state takes over management of the city of Flint's finances after a $25 million budget deficit is projected.

2013 The city of Detroit declares bankruptcy. This is the largest city bankruptcy in the country's history.

2014 The Flint water crisis begins after the city changes its water source to the Flint River in an effort to save money, leading to widespread lead contamination of the city's drinking water. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality had failed to treat Flint River water with anticorrosive agents, in violation of federal law, causing corrosion of lead pipes and lead poisoning in thousands of residents.

2020 Governor Gretchen Whitmer issues a stay-at-home order during the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Michigan soon draws national attention for some of the largest protests against such precautionary measures, and later that year several people are charged with plotting to kidnap Whitmer out of frustration over the COVID-19 restrictions.

2022 General Motors makes its largest ever investment in Michigan, investing $7 billion in four automobile plants to allow the state to become a center of electric vehicle manufacturing.

After the US Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in June, Michigan voters overwhelmingly pass a ballot initiative at the polls in November to prevent an abortion ban in the state.

FAMOUS PEOPLE

Nelson Algren, 1909–81 (Detroit) , Author, winner of the first National Book Award (1950).

Ray Stannard Baker, 1870–1946 (Lansing) , Author; reformer.

William E. Boeing, 1881–1956 (Detroit) , Airplane manufacturer.

Sonny Bono, 1935–98 (Detroit) , Entertainer; US congressman (from California).

Ralph Bunche, 1904–71 (Detroit) , Diplomat.

George E. Bushnell Jr., 1925–2002 (Detroit) , Reformer; activist; president of the American Bar Association (1994–95).

Betty Carter, 1929–1998 (Flint) , Jazz singer.

Roger Chaffee, 1935–67 (Grand Rapids) , Astronaut.

Thomas E. Dewey, 1902–71 (Owosso) , Governor of New York; Republican presidential candidate (in 1944 and 1948).

Horace E. Dodge, 1868–1920 (Niles) , Automobile manufacturer.

John F. Dodge, 1864–1920 (Niles) , Automobile manufacturer.

Edna Ferber, 1885–1968 (Kalamazoo) , Author.

Henry Ford, 1863–1947 (Wayne County) , Automobile manufacturer.

Glenn Frey, 1948–2016 (Detroit) , Musician.

George "The Gipper" Gipp, 1895–1920 (Laurium) , College football player.

Mona Hanna-Attisha, 1976– (Royal Oak), Doctor; activist.

Ken Jeong, 1969– (Detroit) , Comedian, actor.

Earvin "Magic" Johnson, 1959– (Lansing) , Basketball player.

John Harvey Kellogg, 1852–1943 (Tyrone) , Physician; health-food maker and advocate.

W. K. Kellogg, 1860–1951 (Battle Creek) , Food products manufacturer.

Ring W. Lardner, 1885–1933 (Niles) , Writer.

Charles Lindbergh, 1902–74 (Detroit) , Aviation pioneer.

Jerry Linenger, 1955– (East Detroit) , Astronaut.

Madonna (Madonna Louise Ciccone), 1958– (Bay City) , Singer; actor.

Floyd Mayweather Jr., 1977– (Grand Rapids) , Professional boxer.

Terry McMillan, 1951– (Port Huron) , Author.

Julia A. Moore, 1847–1920 (Plainfield) , Poet.

Michael Moore, 1954– (Flint) , Filmmaker; writer; activist.

Ted Nugent, 1948– (Detroit) , Rock musician; political activist.

Chief Pontiac, 1720–69 (near Fort Detroit) , Leader of the Ottawa Indians at Detroit.

Harriet Quimby, 1875–1912 (Branch County) , Aviation pioneer; first licensed woman pilot in United States.

Della Reese, 1931–2017 (Detroit) , Singer; actor.

William "Smokey" Robinson Jr., 1940– (Detroit) , Singer, songwriter.

Diana Ross, 1944– (Detroit) , Singer.

Arthur H. Vandenberg, 1884–1951 (Grand Rapids) , US senator.

Serena Williams, 1981– (Saginaw) , Tennis player.

Stevie Wonder, 1950– (Saginaw) , Musician.

Taro Yamasaki, 1945– (Detroit), Pulitzer Prize–winning photojournalist.

TRIVIA

• Michigan's Upper Peninsula is often called the "UP." Its residents call themselves "Yoopers."
• Nineteenth-century religious leader Ellen G. White of Battle Creek helped start the United States' first national organization of Seventh-Day Adventists.
• During World War II, Nancy Harkness Love of Houghton founded the Women's Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPS. The military organization transports military aircraft from base to base.
• Berry Gordy based his "Motown" musical sound in Detroit. He formed his Motown Record Corporation in 1959.
• Michigan produces as much as three-quarters of the sour cherries grown in the United States each year.

Bibliography

Burcar, Colleen. It Happened in Michigan: Remarkable Events That Shaped History. Globe Pequot, 2010.

Dempsey, Jack. Michigan and the Civil War: A Great and Bloody Sacrifice. History P, 2011.

"Economic Impact of Tourism in Michigan 2022." Tourism Economics, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Sept. 2023,medc.app.box.com/s/1ky54etk4wmcr35my13a05d9m30blo83. Accessed 14 Sept. 2023.

"Economic Profile for Michigan." US Bureau of Economic Analysis, 31 Mar. 2023, apps.bea.gov/regional/bearfacts/. Accessed 14 Sept. 2023.

"Michigan." Quick Facts, US Census Bureau, 1 July 2022, www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/MI/PST045222. Accessed 14 Sept. 2023.

"Michigan: State Profile and Energy Estimates; Profile Overview." US Energy Information Administration, 17 Aug. 2023, www.eia.gov/state/?sid=MI. Accessed 14 Sept. 2023.

"Michigan: 2020 Census." US Census Bureau, 25 Aug. 2021, www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/michigan-population-change-between-census-decade.html. Accessed 19 Oct. 2021.

Eric Badertscher