Past Stories

In the early 20th century, Helen Thompson Gaige defied gender stereotypes by becoming an expert in zoology and launching herself into adventures to collect and study specimens.

A collection of newly donated photos showcases the richness of African American fraternities at U-M and the social pride found in off-campus housing.

In the early 1900s, a determined professor of astronomy undertook the ambitious quest to build a new observatory abroad in South Africa.

Archived papers at the Bentley show how U-M counseled women on their reproductive options in the early 1970s, prior to Roe v. Wade.

The archives of Radio Tahrir feature 25 years of Arab and Arab American voices on a groundbreaking program hosted by Dr. B. Nimri Aziz.

Sarah Emma Edmonds disguised herself as a man and enlisted in the Civil War. Things got more complicated when she fell in love with a fellow soldier.

The Bentley is part of a new effort to examine Philippine materials across campus and take the necessary steps to repair damage to Filipino communities and people.

A 1936 master’s thesis written by Claude Shannon changed the computing world overnight. Collections from the Bentley archive show how the genius idea grew from a revamped engineering campus and one elective class.

One voice says, “Things were different here”; the other voice says, “The origins of the present will be found here.” Both are actually true.

The now-famous librarian to J.P. Morgan wrote often to the director of U-M’s library. Their correspondence reveals mutual respect, admiration—and benefit.