There are quite a few historical events this week in years past, so much so that it was hard to pick which ones to talk about. First off, on January 26^th, 1837, our northward neighbor Michigan was admitted as the 26^th U.S state, after a long postponing because of the Toledo War. Andrew Jackson was president during this time period. The state received its name from the Native American word “Michi-gama”, meaning “large lake”. The name is fitting, since Michigan has the most area bordering the Great Lakes. Here are some fun facts about the Great Lake State: at any given location in the state, you are never more than 6 miles from a lake, and never more than 80 miles from one of the Great Lakes. Its state bird is the Robin and its State Flower is an Apple Blossom.

Next, on January 28^th, 1956, Elvis Presley made his first U.S. television appearance. Though many assume that Elvis’ first appearance was on the Ed Sullivan Show (because it was so popular), his first debut was actually on the Dorsey Brothers’ Stage Show. This was before Elvis was very popular; in fact, the show didn’t even sell out, and there were several open seats. For his performance, The King wore a black shirt, white tie, dress pants with a shiny stripe, and a tweed jacket, and sang a ‘Shake, Rattle & Roll / Flip, Flop & Fly’ medley and ‘I Got a Woman’. This performance opened doors for Elvis, and was the start of his overnight stardom.

Lastly, on January 29^th, 1963, the first inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame were announced. The first inductees are as follows:

• George Halas, End for the Chicago Bears, 1920-1929
• Curly Lambeau, Halfback for the Green Bay Packers, and then a coach for the Packers, 1920-1949. He now holds the record at Green Bay for the most career wins (209).
• George Preston Marshall, Owner of the Washington Redskins from 1936 to 1968.
• Tim Mara, Founder and owner of the New York Giants from 1925 to 1958.
• Joe Carr, League President from 1921 to 1939.
• Bert Bell, Owner, General Manager, and Commissioner of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1936 to 1959.

Here are some other events that happened this week in years past:

• Jan 26^th, 1861– The state of Louisianasecedes from the Union.
• January 27^th, 1756- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born
• January 28^th, 1981- Actor Elijah Wood was born
• January 29^th, 1825- “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe was first published in the New York Evening Mirror.
• Jan 29^th 1861– Kansasis admitted as the 34th S. state.
• Jan 30^th 1933– Adolf Hitleris sworn in as Chancellor of Germany
• Jan 30^th 1882– Franklin D. Roosevelt was born