Maryland’s Official State Sport Is Jousting
It's a state holiday today known as Maryland Day, so it's a good time to talk about how in 1962 Maryland named jousting its official state sport.
In The 1920s There Was A Footrace From Los Angeles To New York
On this day in 1928, the start of the Trans-America Foot Race, aka the "Bunion Derby," in which about 200 runners in Los Angeles set out to run all the way to New York City.
The Netherlands Turned Pole-Sitting Into A Competitive Sport
The U.S. had flagpole sitting a century ago, but the Netherlands has Paalzitten, a sport in which people try to outlast each other sitting on poles.
The Canadiens And Maple Leafs Had A Brawl, And A Hockey Game Broke Out
Today in 1953, two NHL teams racked up a then-record 204 penalty minutes, in a game that’s officially 60 minutes long. Hockey is a rough sport. Plus a guitarist in Japan can play blues riffs with a cheerful little parakeet on his hand!
It’s The Birthday Of The Jukebox, The Old-School System For On-Demand Music
Today in 1889, inventor Louis Glass moved his "nickel-in-a-slot" into a saloon in San Francisco, beginning the age of the jukebox and giving the generations without smartphones and streaming services the chance to push a button and listen to a song.
Two Football Teams Merged And Became The “Steagles”
When World War II put many pro athletes into military service, pro sports leagues had to get creative. That's how on this day in 1943, two pro football teams that normally competed against each other joined forces.
The Swimming Champion Who Became A Real-Life Superhero
Armenian finswimming champion Shavarsh Karapetyan saved at least 20 passengers trapped in a trolleybus that had gone into a lake. Has anybody done a biopic about this guy yet?
Alice Coachman Raised The Bar For Team USA
We don’t have the Olympic Games right now, but we can still mark a big Olympic moment that happened on this day in 1948: the day Alice Coachman became the first Black woman to win Olympic gold.
Satchel Paige Was So Good He Could Still Get Batters Out In His Late 50s
Leroy "Satchel" Paige was a star for decades, and once pitched three scoreless innings in the major leagues at age 59.
The Longest Tennis Match Ever Started 10 Years Ago Today
John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played for more than 11 hours over three days.