TODAY'S EVENTS IN SPORTS HISTORY 2025

AUGUST 14

Jeffries TKOs Corbett
1903 Champion James J. Jeffries scores a 10th-round TKO win over former champion James J. Corbett in San Francisco in his 6th heavyweight boxing title defense


Boxer and World Heavyweight ChampionJames J. Jeffries

BoxerJames J. Corbett

• 1909 Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, home of the Indy 500, hosts its first motorized event, a series of motorcycle races
• 1919 Chicago White Sox outfielder Happy Felsch ties the MLB record with four outfield assists in a game during a 15-6 loss to the Boston Red Sox
• 1920 VII Summer Olympic Games open in Antwerp, Belgium; first time Olympic Oath is voiced, doves are released to symbolize peace, and Olympic Flag is flown
• 1932 Brooklyn Dodgers reliever Johnny Quinn, 49, becomes the oldest pitcher to win an MLB game in a 2-1, 10th-inning victory over the NY Giants at the Polo Grounds
• 1932 X Summer Olympic Games close at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

Foxx Sets AL Record
1933 MLB Philadelphia A's Foxx hits for the cycle and sets a new AL record with 9 RBIs in an 11-5 win over the Indians in Cleveland [1]


MLB Hall of Fame 1st BasemanJimmie Foxx

• 1936 American swimmers Adolph Kiefer and Al Vande Weghe quinella the 100 m backstroke at the Berlin Olympics
• 1936 The Berlin Olympics rowing competition concludes with Germany winning 5 of 7 gold medals, although the United States wins the coveted eights gold
• 1936 United States beats Canada 19-8 in poor conditions outdoors to win the gold medal in the inaugural men's basketball competition at the Olympic Games in Berlin
• 1937 Detroit Tigers score an MLB record 36 runs in a doubleheader vs. St. Louis Browns at Navin Field; win 16-1 and 20-7
• 1939 First night MLB game in the city of Chicago is played at Comiskey Park; White Sox beat St. Louis Browns 5-2

Didrikson Zaharias Goes Pro
1947 Babe Didrikson Zaharias gives up amateur status for $300,000


All-Round Athlete and GolferBabe Didrikson Zaharias
Record English Dismissal
1948 Australian fast bowler Ray Lindwall takes 6-20 as England is dismissed for a record low of 52 in the fifth cricket Test at the Oval; Don Bradman is out for 0 in his final Test innings


Cricket LegendDonald Bradman

• 1948 XIV Olympic Games close at Wembley Stadium, London
• 1953 20th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: Detroit 24, All-Stars 10 (93,818 attendees)
• 1959 26th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: Baltimore 29, All-Stars 0 (70,000 attendees)
• 1959 The first American Football League meeting is held in Chicago; charter memberships are handed to Dallas, New York, Houston, Denver, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis-Saint Paul; the AFL is named the following week
• 1960 Australian driver Jack Brabham clinches his second consecutive F1 World Drivers' Championship by winning the Portuguese Grand Prix at Boavista
• 1961 Philadelphia Phillies lose 9-2 to Chicago Cubs for their 17th straight defeat; 11th consecutive time an opposing pitcher throws a complete game against the Phillies
• 1964 LA Angels pitcher Bo Belinsky is suspended after a hotel room fight with elderly Los Angeles Times sportswriter Braven Dyer
• 1969 NY Mets fall 9½ games back and later win pennant

NFL History
1973 Johnny Unitas files $725,000 suit against Baltimore Colts


NFL QuarterbackJohnny Unitas
PGA Championship
1977 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Pebble Beach: Lanny Wadkins wins his only major title in the event's first sudden-death playoff with Gene Littler


GolferGene Littler
Sports History
1981 Phillies' Mike Schmidt hits his 300th career home run off New York Met Mike Scott


MLB Third BasemanMike Schmidt

• 1982 Atlanta snaps an 11-game losing streak with a 6-5 win over the Padres

Baseball Record
1982 MLB Philadelphia Phillies' Pete Rose's 12,365th at-bat sets a record, passing Hank Aaron


MLB Player and ManagerPete Rose

Baseball PlayerHank Aaron

• 1983 Robert de Castella wins Helsinki marathon (2:10:03)
• 1986 Phillies and Pirates play a six-game series in four days

Baseball Record
1987 Oakland's Mark McGwire sets the rookie home run record at 39 en route to 49


MLB First BasemanMark McGwire

• 1988 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Oak Tree GC: Jeff Sluman wins his only major title by 3 shots from Paul Azinger
• 1990 Denver votes for a 1% sales tax to pay for a baseball franchise

Baseball History
1991 MLB Minnesota Twins Dave Winfield is 23rd to hit 400 home runs


Baseball Hall of Fame OutfielderDave Winfield
Reggie Jackson Day
1993 NY Yankees retire Jackson's uniform number 44 on Reggie Jackson Day


MLB Right FielderReggie Jackson
Women's British Open
1994 British Open Women's Golf, Woburn, Duke's Course: Liselotte Neumann wins by three strokes from fellow Swede Annika Sörenstam; first LPGA-sanctioned Open


GolferAnnika Sörenstam

• 1994 MLB pitcher Doc Gooden completes substance abuse rehabilitation at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California

PGA Championship
1994 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Southern Hills CC: Nick Price of Zimbabwe wins his 2nd PGA C'ship by 6 strokes from American Corey Pavin


GolferNick Price

GolferCorey Pavin

• 1999 New Zealand wins their third Tri Nations Rugby Series as South Africa edges Australia 10-9 in Cape Town; the All Blacks' only defeat comes in the final round dead rubber, 28-7 against the Wallabies in Sydney
• 2004 The Australian women's 4 x 100 m freestyle relay team of Alice Mills, Lisbeth Lenton, Petria Thomas, and Jodie Henry smashes the world record to take gold in 3:35.94 at the Athens Olympics
• 2008 A popular Chinese 1-2 in the 200 m butterfly at the Beijing Olympics with Liu Zige swimming a world record of 2:04.18 to beat teammate Jiao Liuyang
• 2008 Australian women's 4 x 200 m freestyle relay team of Stephanie Rice, Bronte Barratt, Kylie Palmer, and Linda Mackenzie swim a world record 7:44.31 to beat China and take the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics
• 2008 French swimmer Alain Bernard wins the coveted 100 m freestyle gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, beating Eamon Sullivan of Australia by 0.11 seconds
• 2008 Japanese swimmer Kosuke Kitajima repeats his Athens Olympics 100/200 m breaststroke double at the Beijing Games, winning the 200 m in an Olympic record of 2:07.64
• 2010 First Summer Youth Olympic Games open in Singapore
• 2011 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Atlanta Athletic Club: Keegan Bradley wins first major title by 1 stroke in 3-hole aggregate playoff with fellow American Jason Dufner
• 2016 An all-British final in the men's cycling sprint with Jason Kenny defeating teammate Callum Skinner at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics

Andy Murray Wins Gold
2016 Great Britain's Andy Murray wins the men's tennis singles gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics 7–5, 4–6, 6–2, 7–5 over Juan Martín del Potro of Argentina


Tennis ChampionAndy Murray

Tennis PlayerJuan Martín del Potro
Bolt's Third 100m Gold
2016 Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt wins the coveted 100m Olympic gold medal in 9.81 seconds at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, becoming the first man to win the event three times


Olympic SprinterUsain Bolt

• 2016 Justin Rose of Great Britain finishes with a score of 16 under par to win the inaugural men's individual golf gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics; Rose is 2 strokes ahead of Henrik Stenson of Sweden and 3 strokes ahead of American Matt Kuchar
• 2016 Kenya's Jemima Sumgong wins women's marathon gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2:24:04; Eunice Kirwa (Bahrain) takes silver, and Mare Dibaba (Ethiopia) bronze
• 2016 South African athlete Wayde van Niekerk sets a world record of 43.03 to win the men's 400 m gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics; Kirani James (Grenada) wins silver, and American LaShawn Merritt wins bronze
• 2016 US Senior Open Men's Golf, Scioto CC: Gene Sauers wins by 1 stroke ahead of Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Billy Mayfair
• 2019 French woman Stéphanie Frappart is the first woman to referee a major match in a European men's tournament, the UEFA Super Cup between Chelsea and Liverpool in Istanbul

Pakistan Criticizes Kashmir Lockdown
2019 Pakistan PM Imran Khan strongly criticizes India for revoking Kashmir's special status and placing it under lockdown during an address in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir


Cricketer and Prime Minister of PakistanImran Khan
Joshua Cheptegei
2020 Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda breaks Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele’s 16-year-old 5,000 m world record with a run of 12:35.36 at the Diamond League meet in Monaco


Long-Distance RunnerKenenisa Bekele

• 2021 Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Tyler Gilbert no-hits SD Padres, 7-0 at Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
• 2021 Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Tyler Gilbert throws a no-hitter in his MLB debut, defeating the San Diego Padres 7-0 in Phoenix; record-equaling eighth no-hitter of the season

Baseball Record
2024 New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hits his 300th career home run in a 10-2 win over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago; he reaches this milestone faster than Ralph Kiner (in games) and Babe Ruth (in at-bats)


Baseball OutfielderAaron Judge

 

AUGUST 15

• 1886 American MLB pitcher Guy Hecker scores 7 runs in 1 game
• 1899 Louisville's pitcher Henry Dowling struck out 5 times in a game
• 1903 New Zealand's All Blacks play their first rugby test match against Australia's Wallabies at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the All Blacks win 22-3

• 1905 Philadelphia A's future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rube Waddell no-hits the St. Louis Browns, 2-0, in 5 innings
• 1912 Yankee Guy Zinn sets a record by stealing home twice in a game

International Lawn Tennis Challenge

1914 International Lawn Tennis Challenge, New York City: Norman Brookes beats American Dick Norris Williams 6-1, 6-2, 8-10, 6-3 to give Australasia an unassailable 3-1 lead and win 3-2


Tennis PlayerNorman Brookes

• 1925 White Sox pitcher Dickie Kerr makes his first appearance since winning two World Series games in 1919
• 1931 Dutch Spakenburg football team forms
• 1936 Americans make a clean sweep of the 3m diving medals with Marjorie Gestring, Katherine Rawls, and Dorothy Poynton-Hill at the Berlin Olympics
• 1936 Annibale Frossi scores twice as Italy beats Austria 2-1 in extra time in the football final at the Berlin Olympics

A Kiss for Hitler
1936 Carla de Vries, an American tourist at the swimming event of the Berlin Olympics, finds Adolf Hitler "so friendly and gracious" that she shakes his hand and gives him a kiss


A kiss for a surprised Fuehrer. Photo: rarehistoricalphotos.com

• 1936 Marshall Wayne and Elbert Root achieve an American 1-2 finish in the 10 m platform diving at the Berlin Olympics
• 1936 The Berlin Olympic fencing competition concludes with Italy winning 4 of the 7 gold medals and Hungary taking the other 3
• 1939 First night game at baseball's Comiskey Park in Chicago; White Sox beat St. Louis Browns 5-2
• 1945 Chandler sells World Series radio rights for $150,000 to Gillette; Ford has been the World Series sponsor since 1934, paying $100,000 annually

US Women's Open
1948 US Open Women's Golf, Atlantic City CC: Babe Didrikson Zaharias wins by 8 strokes over Betty Hicks


All-Round Athlete and GolferBabe Didrikson Zaharias
Charles TKOs Beshore
1950 Ezzard Charles TKO's Freddie Beshore in the 14th round to retain the heavyweight boxing title


Boxer and World Heavyweight ChampionEzzard Charles

• 1952 19th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: Los Angeles 10, All-Stars 7 (88,316 attendees)
• 1958 25th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: All-Stars 35, Detroit 19 (70,000 attendees)
• 1960 CFL's Calgary Stampeders move into McMahon Stadium
• 1960 Chicago Bears beat NY Giants 16-7 in Toronto (NFL exhibition game)

Ralph Boston
1964 American long jumper Ralph Boston sets a world record of 27' 3½" (8.31 m) in Kingston, Jamaica


Long JumperRalph Boston

• 1964 Fred Trueman takes his 300th Test cricket wicket (Neil Hawke)

Ernie Banks Day
1964 Mayor Richard J. Daley declares "Ernie Banks Day" in Chicago, honoring the Cubs baseball player [1]


MLB shortstopErnie Banks

• 1964 MLB Philadelphia Phillies turn a triple play in an 8-1 victory over the Mets at Shea Stadium, New York City

Masanori Murakami Day
1965 Japanese community of San Francisco holds Masanori Murakami Day at Candlestick Park to honor the first Japanese player to play in the major leagues


Baseball Player In Major LeaguesMasanori Murakami
PGA Championship
1965 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Laurel Valley GC: Dave Marr wins his only major title, beating Billy Casper and Jack Nicklaus by 2 strokes


GolferJack Nicklaus

GolferBilly Casper

• 1966 Puerto Rican champion José Torres defeats American Eddie Cotton on points in Las Vegas to retain the WBC/WBA light-heavyweight boxing title
• 1970 Patricia Palinkas becomes the first woman professional football player (Orlando)
• 1971 Charles Lismont wins the Helsinki marathon in 2:13:09.00

F1 World Champion
1971 Despite crashing out on lap 36, Scotsman Jackie Stewart clinches his second Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship at the Austrian Grand Prix at Österreichring; Swiss driver Jo Siffert of the BRM team wins the race


Auto RacerJackie Stewart
Sports History
1975 MLB Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver is ejected from both games of a home doubleheader against the Texas Rangers


MLB ManagerEarl Weaver

• 1977 England regains the cricket Ashes by taking a 3-0 series lead over Australia

Cricket History
1981 Ian Botham scores a century in 86 balls against Australia at Old Trafford


CricketerIan Botham

• 1981 Robin Leamy of the US swims a record 7.98 kph for 50 m

Dave Dravecky
1989 In his second start since cancer treatment, Giants' Dave Dravecky breaks his pitching arm while throwing to Tim Raines


MLB OutfielderTim Raines

• 1989 Italian swimmer Giorgio Lamberti sets a world record in the 200 m freestyle (1:46.69) in Bonn, West Germany

Baseball Record
1990 Mark McGwire is first to hit 30 home runs in each of his first 4 seasons


MLB First BasemanMark McGwire

• 1992 Striker Brian Deane scores both goals for Sheffield United in a season-opening 2-1 home win over Manchester United at Bramall Lane; the first of Deane's goals is the first in the EPL's inaugural season

PGA Championship
1993 75th PGA Championship Men's Golf, Inverness GC: Paul Azinger wins his first major title in a playoff with Greg Norman of Australia


GolferGreg Norman
Nolan Ryan
1993 Nolan Ryan achieves his 324th and final victory as the Rangers defeat the Indians 4-1


MLB Pitching LegendNolan Ryan

• 1997 Dan Wilson hits Seattle Mariners' 3,000th home run

Dodgers Retire #2
1997 Los Angeles Dodgers retire manager Tommy Lasorda's #2


Baseball Pitcher and ManagerTommy Lasorda
PGA Championship
1999 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Medinah CC: Tiger Woods wins his second major by 1 stroke from Spaniard Sergio Garcia


GolferTiger Woods

GolferSergio García

• 2004 Bay of Plenty defeats Auckland 33-26 in Rugby Union to win NZ's Ranfurly Shield for the first time in the shield's 102-year history after 28 unsuccessful challenges

PGA Championship
2004 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Whistling Straits GC: Vijay Singh of Fiji wins his second PGA C'ship in a playoff with Chris DiMarco and Justin Leonard


GolferVijay Singh

GolferChris DiMarco

• 2004 South African 4 x 100 m freestyle relay team of Roland Schoeman, Lyndon Ferns, Darian Townsend, and Ryk Neethling smash the world record in a time of 3:13.17 at the Athens Olympics

PGA Championship
2005 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Baltusrol GC: American Phil Mickelson wins by 1 stroke from Australian Steve Elkington and Thomas Bjørn of Denmark


GolferPhil Mickelson

Golfer and PGA ChampionSteve Elkington

• 2008 American breaststroker Rebecca Soni avenges her defeat to Leisel Jones of Australia in the 100 m by swimming a world record of 2:20.22 to beat Jones in the 200 m at the Beijing Olympics

Lochte Swims a World Record
2008 An American 1-2 in the 200 m backstroke at the Beijing Olympics with Ryan Lochte swimming a world record of 1:53.94 to defeat teammate Aaron Peirsol


SwimmerRyan Lochte

SwimmerAaron Peirsol

• 2008 Despite China winning the women's gymnastics team all-around gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, Americans Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson go 1-2 in the individual all-around
• 2008 German swimmer Britta Steffen beats Australian Libby Trickett by 0.04 seconds to win the women's 100m freestyle gold medal at the Beijing Olympics
• 2009 12th Athletics World Championships open in Berlin, Germany
• 2010 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Whistling Straits GC: Martin Kaymer of Germany wins his first major title by 1 stroke in 3-hole aggregate playoff with Bubba Watson
• 2012 Seattle Mariners' Felix Hernandez becomes 23rd pitcher to throw a perfect game (1-0 vs Tampa Bay)
• 2016 Anita Włodarczyk of Poland sets a world record of 82.29 m to win the women's hammer throw gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics; Zhang Wenxiu (China) wins silver, and Sophie Hitchon (Great Britain) wins bronze
• 2016 Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas dives at the line to win the women's 400 m gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, beating American six-time Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix by 0.07 seconds
• 2016 Thiago Braz da Silva of Brazil sets an Olympic record of 6.03 m to win the men's pole vault gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games
• 2019 60th annual finger wrestling (Fingerhakeln) championship takes place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, southern Germany, as part of Partenkirchner Festival week

 

AUGUST 16

• 1743 Champion of England titleholder Jack Broughton publishes "Rules of the Ring," the earliest boxing code
• 1883 Dutch soccer club FC Dordrecht is established in Dordrecht in the western Netherlands
• 1920 Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman is hit in the head by NY Yankees pitcher Carl Mays and dies the next day in the only MLB game-related fatality

US Women's Open

1924 US National Championship Women's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Defending champion Helen Wills Moody beats 7-time winner Molla Bjurstedt Mallory 6-1, 6-3


Tennis PlayerHelen Wills Moody
Ruth's 1st HR
1927 Yankees slugger Babe Ruth tees off Tommy Thomas in the 5th inning to hit the first home run out of Comiskey Park, Chicago; New York beats the White Sox 8-1


Baseball LegendBabe Ruth

• 1928 Belgian cyclist Georges Ronsse wins men's road race at UCI Road World Championships in Budapest, Hungary
• 1936 The Berlin Olympic equestrian competition concludes with Germany winning all 6 gold medals in an unprecedented team achievement
• 1936 XI Summer Olympic Games close at Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany

Pirates 12 Cardinals 7
1947 Future Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Ralph Kiner hits three successive home runs for host Pittsburgh Pirates in a 12-7 win over St. Louis Cardinals; both clubs smash a then MLB record of 10 home runs


Baseball Hall of Fame Left FielderRalph Kiner

• 1954 American brand management company Authentic Brands Group first publishes sports magazine "Sports Illustrated"

Baseball History
1956 MLB Cleveland Indians' Rocky Colavito hits his first grand slam, Cleveland 5, Tigers 4


Baseball PlayerRocky Colavito
LPGA Western Open
1959 LPGA Western Open Women's Golf, Rainier G&CC: Betsy Rawls wins her second WO by 6 strokes over JoAnne Gunderson and Patty Berg


LPGA GolferBetsy Rawls

GolferPatty Berg

• 1964 Mildred Sampson of New Zealand runs the female world marathon record of 3:19:33 in Auckland, New Zealand

Baseball History
1964 St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Curt Flood gets eight straight hits in a doubleheader split against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium


Baseball PlayerCurt Flood
Miami Dolphins Franchise
1965 The American Football League's ninth franchise is officially awarded to Joe Robbie and television star Danny Thomas; the Miami Dolphins start play in the AFL's Eastern Division in 1966


Actor, Comedian and TV HostDanny Thomas
PGA Championship
1970 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Southern Hills CC: Dave Stockton wins 1st of 2 PGA C'ships by 2 shots from Bob Murphy and Arnold Palmer


Golfer and Two-Time PGA ChampionDave Stockton

GolferArnold Palmer

• 1976 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Congressional CC: Dave Stockton wins 2nd PGA C'ship in a Monday bad weather finish; by 1 stroke from Ray Floyd & Don January
• 1976 St. Louis Cardinals beat San Diego Chargers 20-10 in Tokyo, Japan (NFL Expo)
• 1977 Yankees blow a 9-4 lead in the 9th but beat Chicago 11-10 in the bottom of the 9th
• 1981 American swimmer Mary T. Meagher breaks her own world women's 100 m butterfly record (57.93) in Brown Deer, Wisconsin, and holds the 100/200 m double world record
• 1981 Highest score in World Cup soccer match (Australia-31, American Samoa-0)
• 1984 Largest harness racing purse ($2,161,000—Nihilator wins $1,080,500)
• 1987 New York Mets beat Chicago Cubs 23-10 at Wrigley Field, Chicago; Greg Maddux records the loss

Nigel Mansell F1 Champion
1992 British Williams driver Nigel Mansell finishes second in the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring to clinch his first Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship


Auto RacerNigel Mansell

• 1992 Canadian Open Women's Golf (du Maurier Classic), St. Charles CC: American Sherri Steinhauer wins first of 2 majors (British Open 2006) by 3 from Judy Dickinson

PGA Championship
1992 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Bellerive CC: Nick Price of Zimbabwe wins by 3 from John Cook, Nick Faldo, Jim Gallagher, and Gene Sauers


GolferNick Price

Golfer and Six-Time Major Championship WinnerNick Faldo

• 1997 For only the second time, the Stanley Cup leaves North America and heads to Russia
• 1997 New Zealand beats Australia 36-24 in Dunedin to retain the Tri Nations Rugby Series with an unbeaten record; All Blacks flyhalf Carlos Spencer lands five penalties and three conversions; halftime NZ 36-0
• 1997 The South African soccer team, Bafana Bafana wins against the national team of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at First National Bank stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa

PGA Championship
1998 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Sahalee CC: Vijay Singh of Fiji wins by 2 shots from American Steve Stricker


GolferVijay Singh
Ronaldo Debuts with Man U
2003 Cristiano Ronaldo (18) makes his debut for Manchester United and the Premier League in a 4–0 home victory over Bolton Wanderers


Football StarCristiano Ronaldo

• 2003 New Zealand beats Australia 21-17 at Eden Park, Auckland, to win its 5th Tri Nations Rugby Series; the All Blacks have an undefeated 4-0 record and regain the Bledisloe Cup from the Wallabies
• 2004 Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe wins the men's 200 m freestyle in an Olympic record time of 1:44.71, achieving the 200/400 m freestyle double at the Athens Olympics

Phelps Wins 100m Butterfly
2008 American swimmer Michael Phelps wins his seventh of eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics when he wins the 100 m butterfly in an Olympic record of 50.58, beating Milorad Čavić of Serbia by 0.01


SwimmerMichael Phelps

• 2008 British cyclist Bradley Wiggins becomes the first rider to successfully defend his Olympic title in the individual pursuit when he takes gold at the Beijing Olympics

Ainslie Wins 3rd Gold
2008 British sailor Ben Ainslie convincingly wins the Finn class at the Beijing Olympics, earning his third gold medal in as many Games


SailorBen Ainslie

• 2008 British swimmer Rebecca Adlington wraps up the 400/800 m freestyle double at the Beijing Olympics with a world record of 8:14.10 in the 800
• 2008 British team of Tom James, Steve Williams, Pete Reed, and Andrew Triggs Hodge win the men's rowing coxless fours in Beijing, the third consecutive Olympics in which Great Britain wins gold in this event
• 2008 César Cielo wins the men's 50 m freestyle in 21.30 seconds in Beijing, earning Brazil's first-ever Olympic gold medal in swimming

Bolt wins Record 100m Gold
2008 Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt sets a new world record of 9.69 seconds to win the 100 m gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics


Olympic SprinterUsain Bolt

• 2008 Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe swims a world record 2:05.24 to beat American Margaret Hoelzer by 1.01 seconds and win the 200 m backstroke at the Beijing Olympics
• 2008 New Zealand rowers Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell successfully defend their 2004 Olympic title in the women's double sculls by beating Germany by 0.01 seconds at the Beijing Games
• 2008 Romanian rower Georgeta Andrunache wins the women's coxless pairs at the Beijing Olympics, earning her fifth career gold medal and her third consecutive Olympic gold in the event
• 2008 South Korean weightlifter Jang Mi-Ran wins the women's unlimited (+75 kg) division at the Beijing Olympics by breaking world records five times: once in snatch, twice in clean and jerk, and twice in total

PGA Championship
2009 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Hazeltine National GC: Yang Yong-eun of South Korea wins his first major title by 3 strokes from Tiger Woods


GolferTiger Woods

• 2009 Usain Bolt of Jamaica edges American Tyson Gay to win the 100 m in a world record time of 9.58 seconds at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin

PGA Championship
2015 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Whistling Straits GC: Australian Jason Day wins, setting major championship record of 20-under-par; beats Jordan Spieth by 3 shots


Professional GolferJordan Spieth

• 2016 Croatian discus thrower Sandra Perković retains her Olympic title with a distance of 69.21 m at the Rio de Janeiro Games
• 2016 Georgian weightlifter Lasha Talakhadze sets a world record of 473 total kilograms to win the men's +105 kg gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics
• 2016 New Zealand canoeist Lisa Carrington retains her K-1 200 m Olympic title with a time of 39.864 seconds at the Rio de Janeiro Games
• 2016 Russian pair Natalia Ishchenko and Svetlana Romashina retain their Olympic synchronized swimming duet title at the Rio de Janeiro Games with a final score of 194.9910
• 2018 Brandt Snedeker shoots 10th sub-60 round in PGA history with an 11-under par 59 in the opening round of the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina

Gold for Raboutou
2018 Brooke Raboutou wins a gold medal in lead climbing at the IFSC Youth World Championships in Moscow, Russia


Rock ClimberBrooke Raboutou

• 2018 International Tennis Federation votes to change the format of the Davis Cup to a high prize money, season-ending, 18-team tournament at a neutral site; a 24-team qualifying tournament starts in February 2019

World Snooker Championship
2020 World Snooker Championship, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield: Englishman Ronnie O'Sullivan wins his sixth world title with an 18-8 win over countryman Kyren Wilson


Snooker PlayerRonnie O'Sullivan

• 2022 Philadelphia Phillies' 11-4 win over the visiting Cincinnati Reds makes them the 9th MLB team with 10,000 franchise victories (and the last of those founded in the 19th century); they were the first to lose 10,000 in 2007

 

AUGUST 17

• 1743 Champion of England titleholder Jack Broughton publishes "Rules of the Ring," the earliest boxing code
• 1883 Dutch soccer club FC Dordrecht is established in Dordrecht in the western Netherlands
• 1920 Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman is hit in the head by NY Yankees pitcher Carl Mays and dies the next day in the only MLB game-related fatality

US Women's Open
1924 US National Championship Women's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Defending champion Helen Wills Moody beats 7-time winner Molla Bjurstedt Mallory 6-1, 6-3


Tennis Player Helen Wills Moody
Ruth's 1st HR
1927 Yankees slugger Babe Ruth tees off Tommy Thomas in the 5th inning to hit the first home run out of Comiskey Park, Chicago; New York beats the White Sox 8-1


Baseball Legend Babe Ruth

• 1928 Belgian cyclist Georges Ronsse wins men's road race at UCI Road World Championships in Budapest, Hungary
• 1936 The Berlin Olympic equestrian competition concludes with Germany winning all 6 gold medals in an unprecedented team achievement
• 1936 XI Summer Olympic Games close at Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany

Pirates 12 Cardinals 7
1947 Future Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Ralph Kiner hits three successive home runs for host Pittsburgh Pirates in a 12-7 win over St. Louis Cardinals; both clubs smash a then MLB record of 10 home runs


Baseball Hall of Fame Left Fielder Ralph Kiner

• 1954 American brand management company Authentic Brands Group first publishes sports magazine "Sports Illustrated"

Baseball History
1956 MLB Cleveland Indians' Rocky Colavito hits his first grand slam, Cleveland 5, Tigers 4


Baseball Player Rocky Colavito
LPGA Western Open
1959 LPGA Western Open Women's Golf, Rainier G&CC: Betsy Rawls wins her second WO by 6 strokes over JoAnne Gunderson and Patty Berg


LPGA Golfer Betsy Rawls

Golfer Patty Berg

• 1964 Mildred Sampson of New Zealand runs the female world marathon record of 3:19:33 in Auckland, New Zealand

Baseball History
1964 St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Curt Flood gets eight straight hits in a doubleheader split against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium


Baseball Player Curt Flood
Miami Dolphins Franchise
1965 The American Football League's ninth franchise is officially awarded to Joe Robbie and television star Danny Thomas; the Miami Dolphins start play in the AFL's Eastern Division in 1966


Actor, Comedian and TV Host Danny Thomas
PGA Championship
1970 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Southern Hills CC: Dave Stockton wins 1st of 2 PGA C'ships by 2 shots from Bob Murphy and Arnold Palmer


Golfer and Two-Time PGA Champion Dave Stockton

Golfer Arnold Palmer

• 1976 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Congressional CC: Dave Stockton wins 2nd PGA C'ship in a Monday bad weather finish; by 1 stroke from Ray Floyd & Don January
• 1976 St. Louis Cardinals beat San Diego Chargers 20-10 in Tokyo, Japan (NFL Expo)
• 1977 Yankees blow a 9-4 lead in the 9th but beat Chicago 11-10 in the bottom of the 9th
• 1981 American swimmer Mary T. Meagher breaks her own world women's 100 m butterfly record (57.93) in Brown Deer, Wisconsin, and holds the 100/200 m double world record
• 1981 Highest score in World Cup soccer match (Australia-31, American Samoa-0)
• 1984 Largest harness racing purse ($2,161,000—Nihilator wins $1,080,500)
• 1987 New York Mets beat Chicago Cubs 23-10 at Wrigley Field, Chicago; Greg Maddux records the loss

Nigel Mansell F1 Champion
1992 British Williams driver Nigel Mansellfinishes second in the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring to clinch his first Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship


Auto Racer Nigel Mansell

• 1992 Canadian Open Women's Golf (du Maurier Classic), St. Charles CC: American Sherri Steinhauer wins first of 2 majors (British Open 2006) by 3 from Judy Dickinson

PGA Championship
1992 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Bellerive CC: Nick Price of Zimbabwe wins by 3 from John Cook, Nick Faldo, Jim Gallagher, and Gene Sauers


Golfer Nick Price

Golfer and Six-Time Major Championship Winner Nick Faldo

• 1997 For only the second time, the Stanley Cup leaves North America and heads to Russia
• 1997 New Zealand beats Australia 36-24 in Dunedin to retain the Tri Nations Rugby Series with an unbeaten record; All Blacks flyhalf Carlos Spencer lands five penalties and three conversions; halftime NZ 36-0
• 1997 The South African soccer team, Bafana Bafana wins against the national team of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at First National Bank stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa

PGA Championship
1998 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Sahalee CC: Vijay Singh of Fiji wins by 2 shots from American Steve Stricker


Golfer Vijay Singh
Ronaldo Debuts with Man U
2003 Cristiano Ronaldo (18) makes his debut for Manchester United and the Premier League in a 4–0 home victory over Bolton Wanderers


Football Star Cristiano Ronaldo

• 2003 New Zealand beats Australia 21-17 at Eden Park, Auckland, to win its 5th Tri Nations Rugby Series; the All Blacks have an undefeated 4-0 record and regain the Bledisloe Cup from the Wallabies
• 2004 Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe wins the men's 200 m freestyle in an Olympic record time of 1:44.71, achieving the 200/400 m freestyle double at the Athens Olympics

Phelps Wins 100m Butterfly
2008 American swimmer Michael Phelpswins his seventh of eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics when he wins the 100 m butterfly in an Olympic record of 50.58, beating Milorad Čavić of Serbia by 0.01


Swimmer Michael Phelps

• 2008 British cyclist Bradley Wiggins becomes the first rider to successfully defend his Olympic title in the individual pursuit when he takes gold at the Beijing Olympics

Ainslie Wins 3rd Gold
2008 British sailor Ben Ainslieconvincingly wins the Finn class at the Beijing Olympics, earning his third gold medal in as many Games


Sailor Ben Ainslie

• 2008 British swimmer Rebecca Adlington wraps up the 400/800 m freestyle double at the Beijing Olympics with a world record of 8:14.10 in the 800
• 2008 British team of Tom James, Steve Williams, Pete Reed, and Andrew Triggs Hodge win the men's rowing coxless fours in Beijing, the third consecutive Olympics in which Great Britain wins gold in this event
• 2008 César Cielo wins the men's 50 m freestyle in 21.30 seconds in Beijing, earning Brazil's first-ever Olympic gold medal in swimming

Bolt wins Record 100m Gold
2008 Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt sets a new world record of 9.69 seconds to win the 100 m gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics


Olympic Sprinter Usain Bolt

• 2008 Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe swims a world record 2:05.24 to beat American Margaret Hoelzer by 1.01 seconds and win the 200 m backstroke at the Beijing Olympics
• 2008 New Zealand rowers Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell successfully defend their 2004 Olympic title in the women's double sculls by beating Germany by 0.01 seconds at the Beijing Games
• 2008 Romanian rower Georgeta Andrunache wins the women's coxless pairs at the Beijing Olympics, earning her fifth career gold medal and her third consecutive Olympic gold in the event
• 2008 South Korean weightlifter Jang Mi-Ran wins the women's unlimited (+75 kg) division at the Beijing Olympics by breaking world records five times: once in snatch, twice in clean and jerk, and twice in total

PGA Championship
2009 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Hazeltine National GC: Yang Yong-eun of South Korea wins his first major title by 3 strokes from Tiger Woods


Golfer Tiger Woods

• 2009 Usain Bolt of Jamaica edges American Tyson Gay to win the 100 m in a world record time of 9.58 seconds at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin

PGA Championship
2015 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Whistling Straits GC: Australian Jason Day wins, setting major championship record of 20-under-par; beats Jordan Spieth by 3 shots


Professional Golfer Jordan Spieth

• 2016 Croatian discus thrower Sandra Perković retains her Olympic title with a distance of 69.21 m at the Rio de Janeiro Games
• 2016 Georgian weightlifter Lasha Talakhadze sets a world record of 473 total kilograms to win the men's +105 kg gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics
• 2016 New Zealand canoeist Lisa Carrington retains her K-1 200 m Olympic title with a time of 39.864 seconds at the Rio de Janeiro Games
• 2016 Russian pair Natalia Ishchenko and Svetlana Romashina retain their Olympic synchronized swimming duet title at the Rio de Janeiro Games with a final score of 194.9910
• 2018 Brandt Snedeker shoots 10th sub-60 round in PGA history with an 11-under par 59 in the opening round of the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina

Gold for Raboutou
2018 Brooke Raboutou wins a gold medal in lead climbing at the IFSC Youth World Championships in Moscow, Russia


Rock Climber Brooke Raboutou

• 2018 International Tennis Federation votes to change the format of the Davis Cup to a high prize money, season-ending, 18-team tournament at a neutral site; a 24-team qualifying tournament starts in February 2019

World Snooker Championship
2020 World Snooker Championship, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield: Englishman Ronnie O'Sullivan wins his sixth world title with an 18-8 win over countryman Kyren Wilson


Snooker Player Ronnie O'Sullivan

• 2022 Philadelphia Phillies' 11-4 win over the visiting Cincinnati Reds makes them the 9th MLB team with 10,000 franchise victories (and the last of those founded in the 19th century); they were the first to lose 10,000 in 2007