Current Michigan Wolverines Running back Donovan Edwards announces NFL retirement today due to…..

The University of Michigan was conceived in 1817 when Michigan Territory Governor Lewis Cass and several territory judges enacted a bill to establish a “University of Michigania”.

The initial product was more of a high school, leading to the territory’s/state’s free public primary system, but in 1837 a gift of 40 acres in Ann Arbor sealed what would become the University of Michigan.

The first classes were held in 1841. The first commencement, featuring 11 men, was seen in 1845.

The medical school was founded in 1848, which helped UM begin the first university-owned hospital in the U.S. in 1869.

Enrollment in 1865 was around 1,200 students. That number would eventually grow to more than 50,000 in modern days.

Michigan’s role as a prominent research university began in 1920 with the reorganization of the College of Engineering.

More than 263,000 research outputs have been produced by Michigan academics, including clinical work, traffic light optimization, nature’s effect on health and wellbeing.

The U of M is also known for its initiatives with the U.S. Navy.

One of the universities taking part in the V-12 Navy College Training program during World War II, Michigan contributed to a number of weapons development breakthroughs.

Today, the Ann Arbor campus is divided into four main areas and includes more than 500 major buildings.

In the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings, Michigan in No. 21 among national universities and No. 3 among public schools.