1. In 1837, Michigan was admitted as the 26th state in the United States. It was the first state to enter the Union after the original 13 colonies.

2. On December 9, 1914, the Ford Motor Company announced that it would increase the wages of its workers to $5 per day, effectively doubling their pay. This move helped to establish the middle class in the United States and set a precedent for fair wages in the manufacturing industry.

3. In 1984, the first commercially successful compact disc player was unveiled by Sony in Tokyo, Japan. The development of this technology revolutionized the music industry and allowed for high-quality sound reproduction.

4. On December 9, 2008, Michigan's Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm announced that General Motors and Chrysler would receive a combined $17.4 billion in federal loans to help them weather the Great Recession. The decision was controversial, but ultimately helped save the auto industry and preserve thousands of jobs in Michigan.

5. In 2012, the Michigan legislature passed a controversial right-to-work law that prohibited unions from requiring workers to pay dues as a condition of employment. The law sparked protests and criticism from labor unions and Democrats, but it remains in effect today.