Jul 15th 1996
After 2,216 consecutive games at shortstop, Cal Ripken, Jr. moves to third base. The Orioles decided their experiment with playing Ripken at short didn't work out.
Jul 14th 1951
Citation wins the Hollywood Gold Cup on CBS - the first sporting event broadcast in color. The broadcast allowed viewers nationwide to see for the first time the orange, Oompa Loompa skin of professional jockeys.
Jul 13th 1930
The first World Cup soccer tournament begins in Uruguay with 13 teams competing. The competition so united the world that the world was war-free for the rest of the century.
Jul 12th 1979
The Detroit Tigers forfeit a game when a promotion, Disco Demolition Night, results in several small fires in the stands and a near riot. Unfortunately, the promotion's planned finale - the incineration of John Travolta - did not take place before the game was called.
Jul 11th 1987
Bo Jackson signs a five-year contract to play football for the Los Angeles Raiders. Jackson would go on to become the all-time leading rusher in Tecmo Bowl history.
Jul 10th 1947
Cleveland Indians' pitcher Don Black pitches a no-hitter against the Oakland A's. Black thanked Jackie Robinson for breaking the color barrier earlier in the season.
Jul 9th 2006
Italy beats France, 5-3, to win the World Cup. France failed to make up the difference on the judges' scorecards despite landing a devastating headbutt.
Dec 31st 1969
John L. Sullivan knocks out Jake Kilrain to retain his bare-knuckle world heavyweight title in Richburg, Mississippi, but Sullivan is arrested after the fight because boxing is illegal in Mississippi. Authorities explained to Sullivan that he could have avoided prosecution in the state if he had lynched Kilrain instead of boxed with him.
Jul 7th 1924
Harold Abrahams of Great Britain wins the Olympic 100-meters in Paris, a feat that will be recounted in the 1981 Oscar-winning film "Chariots of Fire." Abrahams attributed his victory to his regimen of slow-motion training.
Dec 31st 1969
Lottie Dod beats Blanche Hillyard, 6-2, 6-0, to win the fourth Wimbledon women's singles title. One-hundred and seven years later, rapper and women's tennis history buff Snoop Dogg penned an ode to Dod's victory, titled "Lodi Dodi," on his debut album, "Doggystyle."
