1. On May 16, 1836, the Michigan Legislature approved the Act to Organize Michigan as a State, officially making Michigan the 26th state of the United States.

2. On May 16, 1881, the Michigan surgeon Dr. William James Mayo was appointed to the staff of the St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, where he would later co-found the Mayo Clinic.

3. On May 16, 1903, the Michigan copper mining town of Calumet was the site of a labor protest that would become known as the "Italian Hall disaster," in which 73 people, mostly children, were killed in a stampede down a stairway after someone falsely shouted "fire" during a Christmas party.

4. On May 16, 1934, the Detroit Tigers played their first game at their new stadium, Briggs Stadium, which would later be renamed Tiger Stadium and serve as the team's home for over four decades.

5. On May 16, 2000, Michigan-born filmmaker Matt Damon premiered his directorial debut, "All the Pretty Horses," at the Cannes Film Festival in France. The film starred Damon's friend and frequent collaborator, actor and fellow Michigan native Ben Affleck.