Jan. 15, 1892 – Basketball rules first published in Triangle Magazine.
Written by James Naismith, the rules and n means of playing the game differ from those of today. For example, a player could not run with the ball, they had to throw it from where they caught it unless they were intending to dunk. The baskets were also literal wooden baskets nailed to the wall of a gymnasium.
Jan. 16, 1905: Ottawa Silver 7 sweeps Dawson City in Stanley Cup.
The second game went on record as the most lopsided Stanley Cup final in history with a score of 23-2 in Ottawa’s favor. The day after this embarrassing loss, two Dawson City players, D.R. McLennan and Norman Watt, were fired from the team.
Jan. 17, 1917: Rodman Wanamaker holds a lunch to discuss the formation of a golfers association.
This meeting held at the Taplow Club in New York led to the creation of the PGA. The PGA was officially established in April of the same year, and in that October was the first ever PGA Championship.
Jan. 18, 1991: The longest tennis match at the Australian Open takes place.
This match between Boris Becker and Omar Camporese lasted a total of five hours and eleven minutes. A total of seven games were played with Becker, the victor, taking five of them while Camporese took two.
Jan. 19, 1981 Muhammad Ali talks 21 year old out of committing suicide.
When a man dubbed “Joe” took to a ledge of a Los Angeles high-rise and threatened to jump, Ali scaled the building to talk with him through a window. Joe was a Vietnam veteran suffering from PTSD and believing that he was still in Vietnam. Soon after Ali had said ” You’re my brother, I love you, I couldn’t lie to you,” Joe went into the building to embrace Ali and the two walked out unharmed.
