the Hennepin, which transported construction aggregate around the Great Lakes early in the 20th century, was the first self-unloading bulk carrier in the world?
the Great Trail created by Native Americans connected the Great Lakes region of Canada to New England and the mid-Atlantic and laid the foundation for modern highways?
the Great Lakes Storm of 1913 was the deadliest natural disaster to hit the Great Lakes basin region, killing over 250 people?
the proglacial lakes of Minnesota were massive freshwater lakes covering many times the area of the Great Lakes at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation?
the SS Charles W. Wetmore (pictured) negotiated the St. Lawrence River rapids in 1891 to become the first whaleback ship to operate outside the Great Lakes?
there are 43 designated "Areas of Concern" within the Great Lakes watershed that show severe environmental degradation?
the Aquarama, built in 1945 as a Liberty ship, was converted into the largest passenger ship ever to operate on the Great Lakes?
the Erie Land Light (pictured) was the first lighthouse built by the United States Government on the Great Lakes?
the English Sundew, a carnivorous plant with wide distribution in the northern hemisphere, originated from a hybrid involving a plant with localized distribution in the Great Lakes area?
HMS Ontario, an 80-foot sloop of war recently discovered at the bottom of Lake Ontario, is the oldest shipwreck and the only fully intact British warship ever found in the Great Lakes?
Michigan, France, and the United States have all sued for claim to the “holy grail” of Great Lakes shipwrecks, French explorer La Salle’s ship Le Griffon (pictured) that sank in 1679?
Savanna Portage State Park preserves a historic portage trail used by Native Americans, fur traders, and explorers to cross between the watershed of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River?
Spectacle Reef Light (pictured), a lighthouse on Lake Huron, Michigan, has been described as "one of the greatest engineering feats on the Great Lakes"?
the bloater, which inhabits the depths of the Great Lakes, swells when brought to the surface?
the bloody-red mysid (pictured), a crustacean native to the Ponto-Caspian region, has recently invaded the North American Great Lakes?
artifacts discovered at Mound Bottom, Tennessee show that the site was part of a vast Native American trading network extending to the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Appalachian Mountains during the Mississippian era?