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Michigan History Digest

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3 Michigan Moments from November

1.  Michigan Adopts Daylight Saving Time
On November 7, 1972, Michigan voters approved a ballot initiative to permanently adopt daylight saving time each year.

The measure set daylight time from the first Sunday in April through the last Sunday in October, adding extra evening daylight in summer.

This change standardized Michigan’s clocks with most of the country and remains in effect today.

2.  Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald
On November 10, 1975, the Great Lakes iron ore freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest ship on the Great Lakes (729-foot), sank in a severe storm on Lake Superior. 

All 29 crew members were lost when the ship went down near Whitefish Point. 

The tragedy – the 4th largest loss of life in a single shipwreck on the Great Lakes – remains one of Michigan’s most haunting maritime events.

3.  Mackinac Bridge Opens to Traffic
The “Mighty Mac” Mackinac Bridge opened on November 1, 1957, creating a five-mile link between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas.

It took over three years to build (May 1954 to Oct 1957) and cost $99.8 million – financed by revenue bonds sold to investors across the U.S.

At the time, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world between anchorages (remains the longest in the Western Hemisphere), and it instantly became a symbol of Michigan pride and engineering prowess.

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Michigan Trivia Question

The severe storm that sank the SS Edmund Fitzgerald was estimated to produce waves reaching up to how many feet?