Past Stories

New courses and initiatives mean more U-M undergrads are getting their hands on history’s primary sources.

How the game as we know it formed out of class rivalries, rugby, and one troublesome picket fence.

Meet Frank Wilhelme, a philanthropist with an affinity for the past who rifled through the Bentley's archives when it was still in the basement of U-M's Rackham Building.

The daughter of former slaves, Eva Jessye would stand in Washington with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and teach at the University of Michigan. Meet a woman who changed the face of the arts—and America.

New digitization efforts mean more access to Bentley materials, including videos and audio recordings such as John F. Kennedy's speech on the Michigan Union steps.

Jack Kevorkian's collection of papers, art, photographs, and more is now at the Bentley, showcasing the controversial life of an artist, a composer, and a person who drastically moved the needle in the right-to-die discussion.

In 1902, teetotaler Carrie Nation came to Ann Arbor to further the cause of temperance. Her fight paved the way for Prohibition and the expanded role of women in the political landscape.

An Ann Arbor memorial has been painted over for years. Bentley materials reveal what's underneath all those layers.

What does the quote on the front of Angell Hall mean, and why is it there?

Elizabeth Bauer’s collection reveals the crucial work of a tireless advocate.