Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchMichigan's Death Penalty Ban & Tulip Time | May 18
Episode 1537
On this day in 1846, Michigan outlawed the death penalty, becoming the first government in the English-speaking world to do so. Capital punishment wa…
2 weeks, 6 days ago
Douglass' Visit & Yooper Gold| May 17
Episode 1536
On this day in 1866, Frederick Douglass visited Ypsilanti, Michigan, a hub of the Underground Railroad with a sizable Black community. He spoke about…
3 weeks ago
Top Gun's Debut & Jordan's Medal| May 16
Episode 1535
On this day in 1986, Top Gun opened and became a smash hit. Written by Michigan State professor Jim Cash and his former student Jack Epps Jr., the fi…
3 weeks, 1 day ago
MSU's Founding & Sophie Kurys' Legacy| May 14
Episode 1533
On this day in 1857, Michigan Agricultural College held its first classes. Established by the Michigan Legislature two years earlier, the college ini…
3 weeks, 3 days ago
Stevie Wonder's Birth & Motown Legacy| May 13
Episode 1532
On this day in 1950, Stevie Wonder, the legendary musician and Motown icon, was born in Saginaw, Michigan. From his chart-topping debut at age 13 to …
3 weeks, 4 days ago
Detroit Streetcar Workers Unionize, Riot, & Win | May 12
Episode 1531
On this day in 1891, Detroit’s streetcar employees unionized. Starting in April, local transit workers picketed the Detroit Street Railway and Grand …
3 weeks, 5 days ago
Brewer's Brigadier Promotion & Quimby's Birth| May 11
Episode 1530
On this day in 1978, Margaret Brewer, a native of Durand, became the Marine Corps’ first woman brigadier general. Inspired by the Iwo Jima flag raise…
3 weeks, 6 days ago
Eliza Leggett's Underground Railroad & Suffrage| May 9
Episode 1528
On this day in 1815, Eliza Seaman Leggett, a key member of the Underground Railroad, was born. Her Michigan home welcomed many enslaved people and no…
4 weeks, 1 day ago
Mike & Marian Ilitch's Pizza Empire| May 8
Episode 1527
On this day in 1959, Mike and Marian Ilitch opened their first Little Caesars restaurant in Garden City, Michigan. Mike, a former Detroit Tigers farm…
4 weeks, 2 days ago
Sophie Lyons' Life of Crime & Reform| May 7
Episode 1526
On this day in 1924, Sophie Lyons, a famous rogue turned reformer, died in Detroit. Known as one of the country's most notorious thieves, she later d…
1 month ago