Michigan's Death Penalty Ban & Tulip Time | May 18

On this day in 1846, Michigan outlawed the death penalty, becoming the first government in the English-speaking world to do so. Capital punishment was later banned in Michigan’s state constitution in 1964. And in 1929, Michigan’s first Holland Tulip Time was held. The idea was pitched by high school biology teacher Lida Rogers to the Women’s Literary Club, leading to the annual celebration of the famous Dutch flower. Tulip Time wasn’t held during World War II or in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but returned in 2021.