1. On January 3, 1837, Michigan became the 26th state of the United States. After a long struggle with Ohio over the Toledo Strip, Michigan became a state with its current boundaries, including the Upper Peninsula.

2. The Michigan State Capitol building was first used on January 3, 1879. The building, located in downtown Lansing, was designed by Elijah E. Myers and is one of the oldest capitol buildings still in use in the country.

3. January 3, 1919, was the opening day of the first regular session of the Michigan Duma. The Duma was a political institution established after Michigan's brief stint as an independent republic in 1835. It served as a kind of legislative body for the state until the adoption of the current state constitution in 1963.

4. Michigan native and astronaut Jerry Linenger flew his first space mission on January 3, 1994. Linenger, who was born in Eastpointe, Michigan, spent over four months on the Russian space station Mir, where he conducted various scientific experiments and experienced some harrowing incidents, including a fire and a collision with a supply ship.

5. On January 3, 2018, Michigan became the first state in the Midwest to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. The law, which was approved by a ballot initiative in November 2018, allows adults over the age of 21 to possess and use marijuana for recreational purposes, with some limitations.