John L. Sullivan knocked out Jake Kilrain in the 75th round of the U.S. heavyweight championship at Rich-burg, Mississippi, on July 8, 1889. This was the last legal bare-knuckle fight. He claimed to have won the world’s championship with that victory, since Kilrain had previously fought a draw with the English champion. After that fight,…
Bobby Jones has achieved the feat of winning the grand slam. He did so as an amateur, before the present-day tournament requirements were instituted. He won the British Amateur tournament in Scotland on May 31, 1930. Next, on June 20, 1930, he won the British Open in Holyoke, England, with a four-round total of 291….
The first baseball game played at night was at Crosley Field in Cincinnati on May 24, 1935. It was a game between the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies. The Reds beat the Phillies, 2-1.
The fastest downhill speed for skiing to date for a man is 139.03 miles per hour by Michael Pruffer of France. The fastest woman on skis is Tara Mulari of Finland, clocked at 133.234 miles per hour. Both records were set at Les Arcs, France, in 1988.
The first woman to cross the English Channel, Gertrude Ederle, clocked in at 14 hours, 39 minutes on August 5, 1926. In doing so, she broke the existing men’s record.
Chris Evert popularized the two-fisted backhand, which she began using out of necessity when she was six years old. Beginning her professional career in 1972, Evert has won close to 150 women’s singles titles and more than 1,000 career matches.