THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY: 1/4

1887 – Riding a penny farthing bicycle Thomas Stevens becomes the first man to cycle around the world, from San Francisco to San Francisco. Even today a journey of these proportions is a challenge, but making it back in the 1800s with a simple penny-farthing bicycle was an even greater challenge.

1920 – The first Black baseball league is formed. The National Negro Baseball League organizes.

1942 – 23 years in the big leagues and a lifetime batting average of .358 perhaps the greatest right-handed batter in baseball history. Roger Hornsby is the 14th player selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

1957 – For $775,000 the Dodgers become the first team in baseball history to own their plane. They now had a Convair 440 twin-engine, 44-passenger plane to transport the team.

1975 – This unwanted record stood for 25 years. The New Orleans Jazz scored just 21 points in the first half, as they lost to Seattle 111-89.

1976 – For the third consecutive year the AFC championship featured the Oakland Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers prevailed with a 16-10 win at Three Rivers Stadium.

1977 – The Chicago White Sox hired the first woman to do play-by-play. 39-year-old Mary Shane, an award-winning and ground-breaking sports writer for the Worcester Telegram in Massachusetts is hired to broadcast games on WMAQ radio and channel 44.

1984 – In Utah’s 116-111 win over Houston at Las Vegas, Adrian Dantley converts 28 of 29 free throws. Tying Wilt Chamberlain for most free throws made in a game.

1986 – Playing for the Naval Academy David Robinson set an NCAA record blocking 14 shots against UNC Wilmington.

1986 – Los Angeles Rams running back Eric Dickerson scores twice and rushes for an NFL postseason record 248 yards in a 20-0 win over the Dallas Cowboys during the NFC divisional playoff game in Anaheim California.

1991 – At the age of 12 Fu Mingxia of China wins the gold medal in the 10m platform at the World Swimming Championships in Perth Australia becoming the youngest world champion in the history of any aquatic event.

1992 – Boston’s Robert Parrish becomes the 5th player in NBA history to register 2,000 career blocked shots.

1999 – The first BCS National Championship game is played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe Arizona. #1 Tennessee defeats #2 Florida State 23-16 at the 28th Fiesta Bowl.

2000 – Just one day after accepting the head coaching job with the New York Jets, Bill Belichick resigns and moves to the New England Patriots.

2000 – Mark Cuban, a businessman and investor purchases a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks NBA Franchise for $285 million from H. Ross Perot Jr.

2001 – NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan becomes the 4th player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points. Does so by hitting a free throw in the second quarter of an 89-83 win against his old team the Chicago Bulls.