1852 – The first American intercollegiate athletic competition takes place as Harvard defeats Yale in a crew event on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.
1921 – Despite being acquitted by a jury, eight Chicago White Sox players are handed lifetime bans from baseball by MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis due to the Black Sox scandal.
1923 – All games across Major League Baseball are canceled due to the death of President Warren G. Harding.
1936 – Jesse Owens wins the 100 meter dash in 10.3 seconds, his first of four gold medals at the Olympics in Berlin.
1941 – Joe DiMaggio goes 0-4, snapping his on base streak of 74 games, the second longest streak in MLB history.
1948 – Satchel Paige, age 42, debuts in Cleveland.
1949 – The Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League merge to form the NBA.
1960 – For the only time in MLB history, there is a manager trade. Detroit sends skipper Jimmy Dykes to Cleveland for manager Joe Gordon.
1984 – Mary Lou Retton scores a perfect “10” on her final vault, making her the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics.
2004 – St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols becomes the first player in MLB history to hit 30 or more home runs in each of his first four seasons.
2006 – The ball that Barry Bonds hit for career home run #715, moving him past Babe Ruth for second most all-time, is sold at auction for $220,100.
Related Topicsthis day in sports history