1. The first car accident in Michigan occurred on May 31, 1896. A man named Henry H. Bliss was struck by an electric taxi while getting off a streetcar in Detroit, making him the first person in the United States to be killed by an automobile.

2. On May 31, 1909, construction began on the Michigan Central Station in Detroit. The station, which served as a major transportation hub for the city for many years, was designed by the same architects who later designed New York's Grand Central Terminal.

3. The first radio station in Michigan, WWJ, began broadcasting on May 31, 1920. The station, which still operates in Detroit today, was originally owned by the Detroit News and was the first commercially licensed radio station in the United States.

4. The deadliest shipwreck in the history of the Great Lakes occurred on May 31, 1914. The SS Eastland, a passenger ship carrying more than 2,500 people, capsized in the Chicago River, killing 844 people.

5. On May 31, 1965, a series of tornadoes ripped through the state of Michigan, causing widespread damage and killing 5 people. One of the tornadoes, which hit the town of Emmett, was later rated an F4 on the Fujita scale, making it one of the most powerful tornadoes ever recorded in the state.