Happy Birthday, Michigander! Today's celebrant: Madonna

So, there's this obscure musician who hardly anyone has heard of. She's got the most unusual name: Madonna. She was born in Bay City, and it's her birthday today, so in the interest of helping a fellow Michigander, I decided to devote this post to her in the hopes of getting her some new fans. Come on guys, let's help this lady hit the charts!

She knows she's going to make it big some day.

All kidding aside, Madonna Louise Ciccone is arguably one of the most famous people to come from the Great Lakes State. The press has covered pretty much every minute of her adult life, so instead of rehashing all that, I'll leave you with some facts about her childhood in Michigan.

1. She was born August 16, 1958, making her 55 years old today.

2. She was named after her mother, and her nickname as a child was "Little Nonni."

3. Her mother died of breast cancer when Madonna was about five years old. A few years later her father remarried, to the family's housekeeper.

4. She grew up in the Detroit suburbs and attended Rochester Adams High School, where she was a straight-A student and, believe it or not, a cheerleader.

5. She attended The University of Michigan on a dance scholarship, but eventually dropped out and left for New York City.

Here's a video showing photos of Madonna in her younger years. I'm not sure what's going on with the weird, creepy music, but the pictures are cute.

Happy birthday, Madonna!