Past Stories

To write his new memoir, multimedia journalist and educator Harvey Ovshinsky had to research his own collection at the Bentley.

Early aerial photos of U-M's campus were taken by an aviation pioneer.

Students and faculty from U-M’s History Department collaborated with the Bentley to find creative ways to produce a successful research project, even without physical access to archival materials.

In the early 1970s, government pressure was mounting for U-M to give women a level playing field on campus, but the University’s all-male administration was slow to act. A group of determined women demanded accountability and action.

In April 1920, two leading astronomers met on stage in front of a packed audience at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, defending their respective “models” of the universe.

Willis Ward was a celebrated U-M athlete. Interviews and papers from the Bentley reveal Ward's experiences on a campus that thought itself progressive, but in reality was highly segregated.

How a stagecoach robber and murderer was brought to justice, and how the details of the case -- including a one-of-a-kind photo -- made it to the Bentley.

New digital collections have transformed research and teaching, and made the history of the University of Michigan much more available to the world.

Willis C. Patterson's newly donated papers at the Bentley document a tireless fight for African American music to take its rightful place in the vocal canon.

How the Bentley Historical Library is archiving the Covid-19 pandemic in real-time.