Sports

One of the main social changes that took places in the Twentieth Century was the appearance of spectator sports and their incredible popularity. This form of entertainment soon became a way for both men and women to relax and enjoy themselves. Baseball is one sport that soon became an American pasttime and tradition.





1900-1925 1926-1950 1951-1975 1976-2000 Back to Main












1900-1925



April 17, 1901 - First American League game is played: White Sox (8) vs. Broncos (2).



1903 - First "moving-picture" of a baseball game is made.



October, 1903 - First World Series game is played and Pittsburgh will defeat the mighty Red Sox 7-3 making the Pirates the first team to win a series game.



April 14, 1910 - President Taft is the first president to throw the first pitch.



1918 - First shortened baseball season due to World War I.



1920 - George Herman "Babe" Ruth hit his first Yankee homerun over the roof and soon became an American icon. This sports hero was a role model for adolescent boys for years to come.



August 5, 1921 - The first game heard on a radio station is broadcast via KDKA in Pittsburgh and the Pirates beat the Phillies 8-5.



1922 - The entire World Series will be heard over the radio for the first time ever.



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1926-1950



April 19, 1929 - The Indians, who were only experimenting, are the first team to actually wear uniform numbers on the field thanks to two rain delays in New York. The Yankees are the first team to permanently add uniform numbers to their shirts and the first to use them on home and away uniforms.



1929 - Harry Hartman is first announcer to say "Going, going, gone."



1932 - Jack Graney is first player to become a play-by-play announcer.



1936 - First group of players are inducted into the hall of fame.



May 17, 1939 - The first televised baseball game ever is Princeton vs Columbia at Baker field. W2XBS is the network and Princeton wins 2-1.



1939 - Lou Gehrig is the first player to have his number retired.





1943 - With many major league players off at war, Philip K. Wrigley organized the All-American Girls Softball League to entertain fans. The league's rules permitted stolen bases, but it was essentially softball for the first season. In the twelve years that the league existed, it slowly evolved from softball to baseball-like softball, to baseball, eventually becoming the All-American Girls Baseball League (AAGBL). The base paths got longer from season to season, and the ball got smaller, so that by the last season, in 1954, the women were playing straight baseball. They played in skirts, but they played baseball.




1947 - Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American to play Major League Baseball. He also becomes the first player to be named Rookie of the Year.



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1951-1975



1951 - Eddie Gaedel is the first midget to play in a major league game.



April 23, 1954 - Hank Aaron, the future all-time home run king, hits his first Major League home run.



1961 - The American League added two teams.



1961 - The National League also added two teams, bringing both leagues up to twelve teams.



1969 - Both the National League and the American League split into two divisions.







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1976-2000



1977 - The American League grew by two more teams.



1993- The National League added its 13th and 14th clubs.



1994 - All baseball leagues strike. The players now receive millions of dollars for their contribution to the games.



1998 - The National League added two teams when the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks entered the league and the Milwaukee Brewers moved over from the American League.



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