November 27th 1870: Baseball is labelled “The National Game” by The New York Times.
It is recorded that the first baseball game in the U.S. took place in 1846. It only took a short 24 years for baseball to become so popular that is labelled “The National Game”. It’s no surprise that America’s pastime is known as “The National Game”!
November 28th 1895: The first auto race in America took place in Chicago.
Auto racing is a big part of America and is watched by millions. In 1895, the very first auto race took place in Chicago and the six cars raced to Evanston and back to Chicago. Today, auto racing is a big deal and is known as National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR).
November 29th 1939: The 200m backstroke world record is broken by Cor Klint.
In 1939 the 200m backstroke world record is broken in 2:38:8. Today, the 200m backstroke world record is 1:51:92. Breaking a world record is a huge accomplishment for an athlete and something that will go down in history and will always be remembered.
November 30th 1893: Auburn beats Alabama 40-16 in Montgomery during the 2nd Iron Bowl.
Last week in Sports History, we saw how Auburn beat Alabama 48-0 in Tuscaloosa in the 4th annual Iron Bowl. Auburn and Alabama go way back and the Iron Bowl is something both teams take very seriously. Today, Alabama actually takes the lead over Auburn and is dominating this rivalry.
December 1st 1930: A 20-minute penalty is dropped by the NHL.
The NHL dropped a 20-minute slashing-about-the-head penalty in 1930. Hockey can be a dangerous sport and can result in many injuries, especially head injuries. A slashing penalty is when a player swings their stick at another player. When a player slashed their stick at other players head, they were forced to sit through a 20-minute penalty in 1930.
December 2nd 1907: The English Professional Football Players Association is formed.
This association is for football (soccer) players in Europe and was formed to defend and negotiate the conditions of all the professional football players in the league. In 1992, the association was renamed Professional Football Negotiating and Consultative Committee (PFNCC) and is still protecting their players today.
