1. In 1844, the U.S. Postal Service issued the first U.S. postage stamp featuring a portrait of Benjamin Franklin. The stamp was issued in Michigan and was the first federal postage stamp issued in the United States.

2. On May 24, 1930, the first telephone call was made across the Mackinac Bridge, connecting the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan. It took more than 35 years to complete the bridge, which is now the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere.

3. In 1946, the Detroit Tigers played their first night game at Briggs Stadium. The lights were so powerful that the game attracted more than 54,000 fans, the largest crowd to attend a baseball game in the city at that time.

4. On May 24, 1976, the United States celebrated its bicentennial with a massive parade in Detroit, featuring more than 150 floats and 6,000 participants. The parade attracted an estimated one million spectators.

5. In 1990, the Detroit Pistons advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, defeating the Chicago Bulls in a thrilling seven-game series. The team would go on to win their first championship that same year, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers in five games.