On this day in 1875, a massive ice floe collapsed five bridges in Lansing, starting with the newly constructed Mineral Wells Bridge. In 1963, Michiganders narrowly approved the state’s new constitution with a 50.2% vote. And in 1972, Ann Arbor held its first Hash Bash, celebrating cannabis after John Sinclair's prison sentence for marijuana possession was overturned.
TRANSCRIPT
On this day in 1875, a hard winter left a huge ice floe that collapsed five bridges in Lansing. The trouble started at Mineral Wells Bridge, which was newly constructed at the time. The ice floe took that bridge with it, then went on to collapse four more bridges. The Michigan Avenue Bridge was spared because it was constructed without a center support.
In 1963, Michiganders narrowly voted to approve the state’s new constitution, the one it is still run under. After a narrow vote and recount, the constitution was approved with a 50.2% vote.
And in 1972, Ann Arbor held its first Hash Bash. The unofficial festival celebrates cannabis. Some credit John Sinclair, the gray-haired poet and lifelong political activist, for starting it all. Sinclair had his 10-year prison sentence for marijuana possession overturned in 1971 after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that Michigan’s marijuana laws were unconstitutional. That news triggered the spontaneous occurrence of Hash Bash No. 1 on April 1, 1972