1. On September 23, 1868, the University of Michigan played its first football game against Racine College, winning 1-0. This marked the beginning of the university's storied football program.

2. In 1951, the Detroit Lions played their first game at Briggs Stadium (now known as Tiger Stadium) on September 23, defeating the Cleveland Browns 24-10 in front of a crowd of 50,850.

3. On September 23, 1975, Gerald R. Ford, who was born and raised in Michigan, became the first U.S. President to speak at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.

4. The Michigan Brewers Guild held its first beer festival on September 23, 1998, at the Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit. The annual event has since become one of the largest beer festivals in the Midwest.

5. On September 23, 2011, the University of Michigan dedicated the Ross School of Business, a state-of-the-art facility named after businessman and philanthropist Stephen M. Ross. The building's dedication ceremony was attended by Ross, as well as Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.