Alpena's Placoderm Fossil & Sugar Ray's Birth | May 3

Alpena's Placoderm Fossil & Sugar Ray's Birth | May 3

From Michigan Minute by WKAR Public Media

May 3, 2026 · 1 min · Episode 1522

About this episode

The episode discusses the discovery of a Placoderm fossil in Alpena and the birth of boxer Sugar Ray Robinson.

On this day in 2017: A rare fossil of a Placoderm, an armor-plated fish, was found in Alpena, Michigan, exciting paleontologists at the University of Michigan. On this day in 1921: Walker Smith Jr., better known as boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, was born. Although his birth certificate says Georgia, he grew up in Detroit and became one of the greatest boxers, winning six world championships.

Topics covered

  • paleontology
  • boxing history
  • Michigan history
  • fossils
  • Sugar Ray Robinson

Keywords

  • Placoderm
  • fossil
  • Sugar Ray Robinson
  • boxing
  • Michigan
  • University of Michigan
  • Alpena

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Michigan

Places: Alpena, Michigan, Georgia, Detroit

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