Baseball Timeline
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Baseball is as old as Ancient Egypt, but is frequently associated with modern America. Raising money for the war effort, baseball stretched its political muscles. In nourishing great athletes, baseball has taught its children to achieve. For the good of American morale, the President encouraged baseball in a time of global war.
Although the game is as traditionally American as apple pie, players from all over the world have joined in the spirit of the nondiscriminate game. Even the US President is just another player when he tosses the ball onto the field to start the game. It doesn't matter if players are from America, England, or Antarctica. Race, religion, beauty, and height don't seem to matter a bit. When players come together to form a team, all that hangs in the balance is the ball.
Hit these historical highlights with us and explore the magic of the mighty diamond.
2000 BC Egyptians play the first game with a ball and a bat.
1700 "Base ball" was born from an English children's game called "rounders".
1834 "The Book of Sports" was published outlining instructions on how to play the game.
1845 Alexander J Cartwright became head of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club in New York, and created a list of the first 20 rules of baseball.
1869 The Cincinnati Red Stockings become the first pro team.
1875 Bill "Gunner" McGunnigle wore a pair of bricklayer's gloves to the game and found it was much easier to catch the ball wearing a glove.
1883 First night game played in Fort Wayne, Indiana
1903 First World Series- Boston beats Pittsburgh 5-3
1914 William Howard Taft was the first President to throw out the season's first ball.
1921 KDKA in Pittsburgh airs the first major league radio broadcast. The Pirates beat the Phillies 8-5.
1931 The Basball Writer's Association of America began the MVP tradition, and named a Most Valuable Player for each league.
1933 The first major league All Star game.
1935 Babe's last game.
1939 The Baseball Hall of Fame opens and honors several of the great athletes of the game.
1939 NBC televises the first baseball game on an experimental television called W2XBS. The game pitted the Reds against the Dodgers at Ebbet's Field.
1939 Lou's last game.
1944 To raise money for the war effort, the Giants, Dodgers, and Yankees gathered and rotated through 6 innings for a wartime game. (Dodgers 5, Yankees 1, Giants 0)
1947 Jackie Robinson broke the segregationn barrier and signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers to become the first black player in modern major league baseball.
1968 The Houston Astrodome hosts the first indoor All Star game. National League wins 1-0
1978 The Dodgers pack their stadium full with over 3 million fans.
1986 Every major league team brings in over 1 million fans.
1992 The Houston Astros give up the Astrodome for the Republican National Convention and hit the road for a 28-game trip.
1994 Baseball Strike preempts World Series.
