Michigan State University is a public university in East Lansing, Michigan. As the first agricultural college in the United States, it served as a model for future Land Grant colleges under the 1862 Morrill Act. Well known for its academic programs in education and agriculture, MSU pioneered the studies of packaging and music therapy. MSU has the premier hospitality school in the United States, and the study abroad program is the largest of any single-campus university in the nation, offering more than 200 programs in more than 60 countries on all continents including Antarctica. Following the introduction of the Morrill Act, the college became co-educational and expanded its curriculum beyond agriculture. After World War II, the number of students tripled as the institution became a major university. Today, MSU is the nation's sixth-largest university by enrollment. As a research university, MSU is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. MSU's Division I sports teams are nicknamed the Spartans. They compete in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except ice hockey, which is part of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1674: Jan III Sobieski, elected by the szlachta, became the King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_III_Sobieski)

1879: War of the Pacific: Two Peruvian ironclads attempted to lift the blockade of Iquique by Chilean battleships in the Battle of Iquique. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Iquique)

1894: The Manchester Ship Canal was officially opened, linking the city of Manchester to the Irish Sea. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Ship_Canal)

1927: Aboard the Spirit of St. Louis, Charles Lindbergh completed the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lindbergh)

1991: Former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a female suicide bomber. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajiv_Gandhi)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

"A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday." -- Alexander Pope (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alexander_Pope)