Issue No. 33

Welcome Home, {{first_name|default:Michigander}}!

🏛️ The 1st Woman Elected to the MI House

Bonus: Despite being a healthcare pioneer, her district was eliminated by redistricting after she served just one term. Today, the office building for the Michigan House of Representatives is named the Anderson House Office Building in her honor.

🗳️ America’s Longest-Serving Active Mayor

🧠 Michiganders Made History on Jeopardy!

Digest Exclusive: As of April 19th, Jamie Ding has extended his streak to 26 games and his total winnings have increased to $732,000. A win on Monday could see him move up to 5th Highest Winnings (Regular-Season Play) if he surpasses $748,286.

🏆 Detroit: City of Champions 1935-1936

Bonus: Detroit was officially recognized as the "City of Champions" in July 1936 with a unique wooden plaque commissioned by the White House and signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and all 48 state governors.

The design originally included a boxer representing Joe Louis, but his figure was removed in a last-minute modification following his shocking June 1936 loss to Max Schmeling. Louis was replaced on the final artifact by Olympic champion diver Dick Degener, who appears alongside carvings representing Detroit's world titles in baseball, football, hockey, and powerboat racing.

Tip: Click the underlined title for any moment to watch on YouTube for free!

“Learning more about my home state through this page than I ever did living there lol”
— Angelica from Facebook

The very reason we started Welcome Home History, to make Michigan history more accessible. Love to see that we are reaching Michiganders near and far.

Born April 19, 1912, in the mining town of Ishpeming, Glenn T. Seaborg became a Nobel Prize-winning chemist and a trusted advisor to ten U.S. presidents.

As a "citizen-scholar," he transitioned from the secrecy of the Manhattan Project to a public advocate for scientific literacy, playing a pivotal role in the 1983 "A Nation at Risk" report that transformed American education.

In 2026, Seaborg’s industrial impact persists in the millions of lives saved by medical isotopes he discovered and the nuclear infrastructure that continues to provide carbon-free energy to the nation.

Completed in 1929 for the widow of automotive pioneer John Dodge, Meadow Brook Hall stands as one of the finest examples of Tudor Revival architecture and is a premier monument to Michigan’s "Great Estate" era.

Visitors can explore the sprawling 88,000-square-foot mansion, which remains impeccably preserved with its original 110 rooms filled with world-class art and authentic Dodge-Wilson family artifacts.

Don’t miss the "Knole Cottage," a separate, two-story miniature Tudor playhouse on the grounds that features its own working kitchen, electricity, and plumbed bathrooms—all meticulously designed entirely to a child’s scale.

Step back into the Gilded Age and learn more at Meadow Brook Hall.

What a remarkable month it’s been for Michigan history! In case you missed the highlight reel: the University of Michigan won the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship, Christina Koch flew to the moon and back, Jamie Ding is on a record-setting streak on Jeopardy!, and the Detroit Pistons secured the #1 seed in the East.

There is so much for us to be proud of right now. I made it a point to watch these moments unfold in real time, and I’m so grateful I did. As we continue to explore a range of Michigan history, don’t forget to take time to experience the history happening right in front of you.

Until next week, thank you for reading Michigan History Digest.
— Zac and the Welcome Home History Team.

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