Panther by the Tail

When three members of the White Panther Party were accused of setting off bombs across Southeast Michigan in 1968, evidence of their guilt was acquired through wiretapping without a warrant. The case made it all the way to the Supreme Court and, today, collections at the Bentley document the details of this historic ruling.

… Complete Story

Will You Help Save Michigan Athletic History This #GivingBlueday?

Michigan has a proud athletic tradition, and its winning history is preserved at the Bentley Historical Library. This #GivingBlueday, we need your help to keep Michigan’s athletic history alive and well. Will you help us give researchers access to the past so that we can preserve the future? Giving Blueday is Tuesday, November 27th.

… Complete Story

After the Armistice: An American Tragedy in Russia

The Wall Street Journal recently published the story of soldiers left fighting in Russia after World War I officially ended. The story features the Bentley’s materials on these men, which includes letters, photos, journals, and more. The soldiers would come to be known as the “Polar Bears.”

… Complete Story

All the News That’s Fit to Search

On Monday, November 5, 2018, the Bentley Historical Library unveiled a new platform for the Detroit Jewish News Digital Archive, a free, searchable database containing more than 100 years of digital copies of the Detroit Jewish Chronicle and the Detroit Jewish News.

… Complete Story

In Living Color: Maize and Blue

In 1867, a committee of students from the University of Michigan’s Literary Department was appointed to recommend colors emblematic of the school. They decided on “azure blue and maize,” now known as maize and blue. But what do these colors look like? The answer has historically depended on whom you ask — and when.

… Complete Story

From The Digital Archives: The Mershon Collection

The Bentley has digitized the collection of William B. Mershon, a Michigan lumberman in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who also hunted and fished in Michigan. He became a witness first to the bounty of Michigan’s wilderness, and then to the dramatic loss of species.

… Complete Story

From The Digital Archives: The Mershon Collection

The Bentley has digitized the collection of William B. Mershon, a Michigan lumberman in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who also hunted and fished in Michigan. He became a witness first to the bounty of Michigan’s wilderness, and then to the dramatic loss of species.

… Complete Story