The Great Lakes State is full of quirks and history worth celebrating. In honor of National Michigan Day, let’s raise those mittens proudly and delve into the lore that makes the 26th state unique.

AN UNUSUAL PATH TO THE WHITE HOUSE
In 1974, Gerald Ford became the 38th US President. Having grown up in Grand Rapids, MI, he’s the only Chief Executive to hail from Michigan—and the circumstances surrounding his peculiar presidency don’t end there. Ford was appointed as the vice president following the 1973 resignation of VP Spiro Agnew and assumed the presidency after the resignation of Richard Nixon. He was the only POTUS to ever hold the position without being elected as president or vice president. After his 1976 election defeat by Jimmy Carter, Ford’s 895-day presidency remains the shortest of any US president who didn’t die in office.

LET THERE BE LIGHT
Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state, with over 120 still standing to guide ships along the Great Lakes. Including historical lighthouses, there have been approximately 150 built in Michigan.

THE NAMESAKE OF THE GREAT LAKES STATE
It makes sense that Michigan would need all those lighthouses considering it touches four of the five Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie). Because of this exceptional geography, Michigan has the longest freshwater coastline in the nation. Another fun fact is that Lake Superior certainly lives up to its name with 3 quadrillion gallons of water, making it the world’s largest freshwater lake by surface area. Superior holds roughly 10% of the world’s surface fresh water and its volume is large enough to cover all of North and South America in 1-foot of water.

THE TRUE LAND OF LAKES
The Great Lakes aren’t Michigan’s only bragging rights when it comes to water views. Thanks to the coastline, over 11,000 inland lakes, and tens of thousands of miles of rivers and streams, you’re never more than six miles from a natural water source no matter where you are in Michigan.

CANADA'S NEIGHBOR TO THE NORTH
Detroit is a rare US city where you can look south to see Canada. Windsor, Ontario is the southernmost Canadian city and can be viewed from downtown Detroit thanks to the curvature of the Detroit River. Bonus fun fact: because of its positioning on the north bank, no part of the city is referred to as “South Detroit.” It turns out Journey’s “city boy born and raised in South Detroit” was actually Canadian.

MOVE OVER, SAN FRANCISCO
The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most iconic bridges in the world. It was the longest and tallest suspension bridge in existence at the time of its construction in the 1930s, records that have long since been surpassed. In fact, one of its successors is none other than Michigan’s Mackinac Bridge. Though the Golden Gate Bridge has a longer main span between towers, the total length of the Mackinac Bridge is about 5 miles, significantly longer than Golden Gate’s total suspended span of 1.7 miles. The Mighty Mac is the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western Hemisphere.

THE DEEP ROOTS OF RIVALRY
In the mid-1830s, Michigan and Ohio engaged in a controversial boundary dispute known as the Toledo War. Because of varying survey results, both states attempted to claim sovereignty over the Toledo Strip, which was an important commerce hub at the time due to its canals. Fortunately, it was largely a bloodless battle. The only casualty was the stabbing of a Michigan Sheriff in a tavern brawl. 

The war ended when President Andrew Jackson stepped in. Historically, Ohio won since Toledo was granted to the state. However, this resulted in Michigan being given the Upper Peninsula which turned out to be prosperous for mining and tourism, so it wasn’t exactly a shabby deal. We, of course, love Toledo—but now you understand the old Mitten State joke “Michigan won, so Ohio had to keep Toledo.”

From a one-of-a-kind presidency to engineering feats and an abundance of fresh water, Michigan’s story is anything but ordinary. Happy National Michigan Day to America’s high five!