Sports

On June 3, 1888, the now-famous poem “Casey at the Bat” was first published in the San Francisco Daily Examiner. It’s been performed and recorded thousands of times and adapted to several other media, become the most famous baseball poem in history.

Jim Thorpe said he was born on May 28, 1888, in Indian Territory. A world renowned athlete, he helped popularize football in the United States and was the first athlete to win both the decathlon and the pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics.

Edward Patrick Francis Eagan was born on April 26, 1897, in Denver, Colorado.  He’s the only person in Olympic history to win gold medals in both Summer and Winter sports.

On January 25, 1932, the US Post Office Department issued its first stamp honoring the Olympic Games.  Those games were the first to be held in the US.

On January 1, 1911, Henry Benjamin Greenberg was born in New York City, New York. One of the greatest sluggers in baseball history, he put his career on hold to serve 47 months with the Army during World War II, the most of any major league player.

Roy “Campy” Campanella was born on November 19, 1921, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Considered one of the greatest catchers in baseball history, he was the first catcher to break organized baseball’s color line when he debuted in the Majors in 1948.

Basketball inventor James Naismith was born on November 6, 1861, in Almonte, Ontario, Canada. He developed the game in 1891 as a safe sport for children to play indoors.

Mickey Charles Mantle was born on October 20, 1931, in Spavinaw, Oklahoma.  Considered the best switch hitter in history, he was a Triple Crown winner, won seven World Series, and was a three-time MVP.

On September 30, 1927, Babe Ruth became the first baseball player in US history to hit 60 home runs. His record would stand for 34 years, but it remains a historic moment in sports history.