The order that launched the Revolutionary War, 250 years later

The ‘shot heard ’round the world’ can be traced to one manuscript containing the orders for the Concord Expedition on April 18, 1775. The quill-to-paper draft orders, penned by British Army officer Thomas Gage, sparked the Battle at Lexington and Concord the following day. U-M’s Clements Library holds the document.
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Parting the Iron Curtain—with music
On a frigid Moscow night, William Revelli and the Michigan Symphony Band launched one of the most ambitious cultural exchanges in history. The year was 1961.
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Look who's talking now: Smart cars
Ann Arbor is home to a first-of-its-kind test of “smart” technology that allows vehicles and highway infrastructure to communicate with each other. The goal is to help reduce crashes and improve traffic congestion.
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Student startup scores spot with national incubator
Fetchnotes, founded by a team of U-M undergrads, is an innovative new cloud-based system that lets users organize information via phone, smartphone app, desktop widget, or web browser.
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Lean Into It
For a year-and-a-half, a U-M surgeon and her team turned the operating room into a laboratory—the first anywhere to apply the auto industry’s lean model of manufacturing to head and neck surgery. The outcome? Focusing on efficiency and profitability can enhance staff morale, resident education, and patient care.
Related Story: Acting on the New Health Care Act
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Solar Car Team Wins Again; Breaks National Record
In July the U-M Solar Car Team won the 2012 American Solar Challenge for a fourth consecutive American title. It was a record-breaking run, as the team finished the race with a 10-hour, 18-minute lead on the competition.
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The president's Prussian
Building an observatory and state-of-the-art telescope at U-M was a scientific master stroke. Politically, however, it proved problematic.
Columns
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President's Message
Reaffirming our focus on student access and opportunity
U-M seeks to ensure every student will rise, achieve, and fulfill their dreams. -
Editor's Blog
Peace out
It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world out there. -
Climate Blue
Keeping our focus on climate
As federal support for climate science wanes, Ricky Rood remains hopeful. -
Health Yourself
Are you an ‘ager’ or a ‘youther’?
Why do some people appear younger or older than people born in the same year?
Listen & Subscribe
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MGo Blue podcasts
Explore the Michigan Athletics series "In the Trenches," "On the Block," and "Conqu'ring Heroes." -
Michigan Ross Podcasts
Check out the series "Business and Society," "Business Beyond Usual," "Working for the Weekend," and "Down to Business." -
Michigan Medicine Podcasts
Hear audio series, news, and stories about the future of health care.
In the news
- USA Today US consumer sentiment and expectations fall again in April as tariff uncertainty continues
- CNN Beyond Ivy League, RFK Jr.'s NIH slashed science funding across states that backed Trump
- Detroit Free Press Inflation is slowing. Wages are up. So why does life feel costly for many Michiganders?
Creativity and connection across prison walls
One of the world’s largest and longest-running exhibitions of incarcerated artists is back with new programming designed to foster connection and deepen public understanding of incarceration in Michigan. The 29th annual Exhibition of Artists in Michigan Prisons, curated by U-M’s Prison Creative Arts Project, showcases 772 artworks by 538 artists incarcerated in 26 state prisons. The Duderstadt Center Gallery on U-M’s North Campus is presenting the artwork through April 1.