1. In 1955, the Detroit Tigers celebrated "Al Kaline Day" at Briggs Stadium to honor the 20-year-old outfielder's record-breaking performance during his rookie season.

2. On July 17, 1812, General William Hull issued his infamous proclamation surrendering Detroit and the entire Michigan Territory to the British during the War of 1812.

3. In 1914, Henry Ford introduced the world's first assembly line to auto manufacturing at his Highland Park plant in Michigan, revolutionizing the industry and paving the way for mass production techniques.

4. On this day in 1975, the first U.S.-Soviet joint space mission launched from the Soviet Union's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, featuring American astronaut Thomas P. Stafford and Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov.

5. July 17 is also the birthdate of William Talman, a prominent Michigan attorney who represented Dr. Jack Kevorkian in his high-profile assisted suicide cases and was a vocal defender of free speech and civil rights throughout his career.