1. In 1900, the University of Michigan's first alumna, Anna E. Brown, became the first woman on the school's faculty. Brown was hired as an assistant instructor in English.

2. On December 8, 1974, the Great Lakes freighter, the Edmund Fitzgerald, sank in Lake Superior. All 29 crew members were lost, and the tragedy inspired a famous song by Gordon Lightfoot.

3. The Michigan State Capitol Building in Lansing was officially dedicated on December 8, 1879, after almost five years of construction. The building's iconic cast iron dome was added later, in 1887.

4. The Detroit Lions defeated the San Francisco 49ers 21-14 on December 8, 1957, to win the NFL Western Conference championship and advance to the NFL championship game (which they ultimately lost to the Cleveland Browns). It was the first time the Lions had won a conference title since the NFL began having conferences in 1933.

5. In 1987, the "Piggyback Bandit," a man who would sneak onto high school sports teams' buses and ask to be driven to the next game, was arrested in Battle Creek, Michigan. The man, whose real name is Sherwin Shayegan, became notorious for his bizarre behavior, which included sitting on and hugging players during games. He has been arrested numerous times for similar offenses in multiple states.