History

  1. June 8, 2026

    It Happened at Michigan: A humble class gift that’s witnessed history being made

    For more than 100 years, Hill Auditorium has been U-M’s most prestigious venue for rhetoric and debate. And for that same century, dozens of speakers have leaned upon an oak lectern given by a class of U-M students.

  2. May 26, 2026

    It Happened at Michigan: When U-M students went to D.C. — and ran into royalty

    King Charles’ visit last month to Washington, D.C., evoked memories of a 2011 trip to the nation’s capital, when Charles, then the Prince of Wales, met some U-M students in a chance encounter.

  3. May 18, 2026

    Symposium set to re-envision archival collections

    The Communities in Conversation Symposium, set for May 21, will allow participants to work together to re-envision and reconnect archival collections to communities in engaging and ethical ways.

  4. April 29, 2026

    It Happened at Michigan: Looking back at U-M’s commencement speakers

    In August of 1845, U-M held a small commencement ceremony for its first 11 graduates — but it wasn’t until 1878 that a keynote speaker became part of the university’s graduation tradition.

  5. April 27, 2026

    It Happened at Michigan: The evolution of a U-M degree

    As the university prepares to award its 1 millionth degree this weekend, it’s astonishing to reflect on how U-M’s degrees have expanded and diversified over the decades since the first graduates in 1845.

  6. April 13, 2026

    It Happened at Michigan: The grand station that became the Gandy Dancer

    Long before it was the Gandy Dancer, one of Ann Arbor’s best-known restaurants, the building at 401 Depot St. was a train station that functioned as a gateway to the city — and to the University of Michigan.

     

  7. April 6, 2026

    U-M Library has rare copy of historic Ortelius atlas

    The U-M Library acquired Abraham Ortelius’s “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum,” an atlas that revolutionized map making when it was first published in 1570.

  8. April 6, 2026

    It Happened at Michigan: How the Michigan Engineering Class of 1931 paid it forward

    In 1931, two years into the Great Depression, Michigan Engineering seniors used class funds to buy caps and gowns to save students the expense. This was the start of that class’s legacy of community support.

  9. March 30, 2026

    It Happened at Michigan: Mollie Graham was first Black woman to be admitted to U-M

    In the spring of 1880, 22-year-old Graham was in her final semester at U-M. Her academic focus was Latin and science, she understood German and French, and she hoped for a career as a journalist.

  10. March 23, 2026

    Inclusive History Project hosting 2026 Summit on March 27

    The Inclusive History Project’s annual summit will bring together members of the university community along with alumni and community members to explore U-M’s histories of inclusion and exclusion.