Events in Sport
- 1908 Edmonton Rugby Foot-ball Club re-organizes as Esquimoux
- 1909 Jack Johnson KOs Stanley Ketchel in 12 for heavyweight boxing title
- 1909 Pirates beat Tigers 4 games to 3 in 6th World Series
- 1912 Boston beats NY Giants, 4 games to 3 with a tie in 9th World Series
- 1916 Dodger manager Wilbert Robinson given $5,000 bonus
- 1921 Babe Ruth, Bob Meusel, & Bill Piercy defy Landis ban on World Series
- 1921 Jim Conzelman takes over as coach of Rock Island Independents from Frank Coughlin-only mid-game coaching change in NFL history
Event of Interest
1936 Lou Gehrig, is voted AL MVP by BBWAA
Lou Gehrig
- 1942 National Boxing Association freezes titles of those serving in armed services
- 1949 1st NASCAR Sprint Cup: Red Byron wins
- 1962 Yanks (20th championship) beat SF Giants 4 games to 3 in World Series
- 1962 NY Yankees appear in 12 & win 9 of last 14 World Series
- 1964 US men's 4 × 100m medley relay team of Thompson Mann, Bill Craig, Fred Schmidt & Steve Clark swim world record 3:58.4 to beat Germany by 3.2s and win gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics
- 1964 In an incredibly close women's 100m final at the Tokyo Olympics American sprinter Wyomia Tyus runs 11.4s to beat team mate Edith McGuire by 0.2s; Ewa Kłobukowska of Poland takes bronze with the same time as McGuire
- 1964 American swimmer Sharon Strouder sets world record 1:04.7 to beat Ada Kok of the Netherlands by 0.9s and win the women's 100m butterfly at the Tokyo Olympics
Black Power Salute
1968 Americans Tommie Smith (gold 19.83 WR) and John Carlos (bronze) famously give the Black Power salute on the 200m medal podium during the Mexico City Olympics
Learn More >>
- 1968 Milwaukee Bucks play their 1st game losing 89-84 to Chicago Bulls
- 1968 Jim Dorey sets Toronto Maple Leaf penalty records (48 mins on 9 penalties in a game & 44 minutes on 7 penalties in a period)
- 1968 American Bob Seagren, Claus Schiprowski of West Germany and East German Wolfgang Nordwig all record 5.40m in the final of the pole vault at the Mexico City Olympics; Seagren awarded gold on countback
- 1969 T Agee & Ed Kranepool HR, Tommie Agee makes 2 great catches, New York Mets win Baseball World Series 4-1
- 1969 100-1 shot NY Mets beat Orioles 5-3 & win 66th World Series in 5
- 1969 Met Cleon Jones awarded 1st base when shoe polish on ball proves he is hit by a pitch, he scores on a HR in World Series
- 1976 Toronto Maple Leaf Lanny McDonald scores a hat trick in 2 min 54 sec
Ryder Cup
1983 Ryder Cup Golf, PGA National GC: US wins 14½-13½; Bernard Gallacher's missed 3-foot putt for bogey gives Tom Watson 2 & 1 win and the US winning point
Tom Watson
- 1983 Baltimore Orioles beat Philadelphia Phillies, 4 games to 3 in 80th World Series
- 1985 KC Royals & St Louis Cardinals win their league championships
- 1985 MLB National League Championship: St. Louis Cardinals beat Los Angeles Dodgers, 4 games to 2
- 1985 MLB American League Championship: Kansas City Royals beat Toronto Blue Jays, 4 games to 3
Boxing Title Fight
1987 Mike Tyson TKOs Tyrell Biggs in 7 for heavyweight boxing title
Mike Tyson
- 1988 Orel Hirsheiser, 1st to pitch shutout in playoff & World Series
- 1990 Reds Eric Davis is 22nd player to homer in his 1st World Series at bat
- 1991 Dallas Mavericks Roy Tarpley becomes 7th to be banned from NBA for life under the league's anti-drug agreement
- 2000 MLB National League Championship: New York Mets beat St. Louis Cardinals, 4 games to 1
- 2003 MLB American League Championship: New York Yankees beat Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 3
Event of Interest
2004 Lionel Messi, aged 17, makes his league debut for Barcelona against Espanyol
Lionel Messi
Event of Interest
2005 Renault driver Fernando Alonso wins season-ending Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai International Circuit; first Spanish Formula 1 World Drivers champion; wins by 21 points from Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi Räikkönen
- 2005 MLB American League Championship: Chicago White Sox beat Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 4 games to 1
- 2011 MLB National League Championship: St. Louis Cardinals beat Milwaukee Brewers, 4 games to 2
- 2014 MLB National League Championship: San Francisco Giants beat St. Louis Cardinals, 4 games to 1
- 2016 Ed Whitlock at 85 becomes oldest person to complete a marathon under 4 hours, at Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 3 hours 56 minutes
Birthdays in Sport
- 1878 Maxey Long, American athlete (d. 1959)
- 1885 Dorando di Desiderio Pietri, Italian marathoner (Olympic-DQ gold-1908)
- 1900 [Leon] Goose Goslin, baseball hall of famer (AL bat champ 1928)
- 1906 George Martin Lott Jr, tennis champ (1931 US Open runner-up)
- 1921 Matt Batts, MLB catcher (Red Sox), born in San Antonio, Texas (d. 2013)
Dave DeBusschere
1940 Dave DeBusschere, NBA forward (NY Knick)/last ABA commissioner, born in Detroit, Michigan
Dave DeBusschere
- 1941 Tim McCarver, baseball catcher (Phils, Mets)/sportscaster (ABC, CBS)
- 1944 Bob Cottam, cricketer (England fast-medium on 2 India/Pakistan tours)
- 1948 Leo Mazzone, American baseball coach
- 1953 Susan Pedersen, American 4 X 100m medley swimmer (Olympic gold 1968)
- 1953 Paulo Roberto Falcão, Brazilian footballer
- 1956 Melissa Belote, American 100m/200m swimmer (Olympics 3 gold-1972), born in Washington, D.C.
- 1956 Johnny Chavis, American football coach
- 1960 Val Skinner, American golfer (6 LPGA Tour wins), born in Hamilton, Montana
- 1961 Billy Taylor, Monticello FL, pitcher (Oakland A's)
- 1961 Chris Doleman, defensive end (San Francisco 49ers)
- 1961 Wilfried Brookhuis, soccer player (NEC)
- 1962 Laura Coenen, team handball goalie (Olymp-1988, 92, 96), born in Neenah, Wisconsin
- 1962 Manute Bol, NBA center (Golden State Warriors)
- 1962 Tamara McKinney, slalom skier (Olympic-4th-1984), born in Lexington, Kentucky
- 1965 German Titov, NHL center (Calgary Flames, Olympic silver 1998), born in Moscow, Russia
- 1965 Lisa Bonder, tennis star, born in Columbus, Ohio
- 1966 Donovan Right, CFL linebacker (Hamilton Tiger Cats)
- 1967 Joe Murphy, NHL right wing (Chicago Blackhawks), born in London, England
- 1967 Michael York, Australian field hockey fullback (Olympic silver 1992, 96)
- 1968 Scott Donie, Vicenza Italy, diver (Olympic 4th 1996)
- 1969 Darren McKenzie-Potter, cyclist (Olympics 1996), born in Auckland, New Zealand
- 1969 Doug Hocking, CFL linebacker (Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
- 1969 Spencer McLennan, CFL safety (Montreal Alouettes)
- 1970 Adrian Murrell, NFL running back/kick returner (NY Jets)
- 1970 Mehmet Scholl, German footballer
- 1971 David Johnson, cricketer (Karnataka fast bowler, India 1996-)
- 1971 Greg Jeffries, NFL cornerback (Detroit Lions)
- 1971 Simon Shanks, NFL inside linebacker (Arizona Cardinals)
- 1971 Toni Foster, WNBA forward/center (Phoenix Mercury)
- 1972 Darius Kasparaitis, Elektrenai Lit, NHL defenseman (Islanders, Pitts)
- 1972 Darren Balmforth, Australian rower (Olympics 1996)
- 1972 Kordell Stewart, NFL quarterback/wide receiver (Pittsburgh Steelers)
- 1972 Stephen O'Connor, Irish amateur snooker champ (1990)
- 1973 David Unsworth, English professional footballer
- 1974 Jermaine Lewis, wide receiver (Baltimore Ravens)
- 1974 Paul Kariya, NHL left wing (Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Olympics 1998), born in Vancouver, British Columbia
- 1975 Jacques Kallis, cricketer (South African Test all-rounder v England 1995)
- 1975 Jamila Wideman, WNBA guard (LA Sparks)
- 1975 Brynjar Gunnarsson, Icelandic footballer
- 1980 Sue Bird, American basketball player
- 1980 Timana Tahu, Australian Rugby League player
- 1981 Anthony Reyes, starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals
- 1981 Martin Halle, Danish footballer
- 1982 Frédéric Michalak, French rugby player
- 1985 Casey Stoner, Australian motorcycle racer and 2007 MotoGP World Champion
- 1986 Craig Pickering, British sprinter
- 1988 Zoltán Stieber, Hungarian footballer
- 1992 Bryce Harper, American baseball player (Washington Nationals), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1993 Caroline Garcia, French tennis player (French Open doubles 2016), born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
- 1997 Naomi Osaka, Japanese tennis player (US Open 2018), born in Osaka, Japan
Weddings in Sport
Wedding of Interest
1979 MLB outfielder Tim Raines (20) weds his high school sweetheart Virginia Hilton
Tim Raines
Divorces in Sport
Divorce of Interest
1984 Joyce King divorces NBA guard George Gervin (32) after nearly 8 years of marriage
George Gervin
Deaths in Sport
- 1928 Septimus Kinneir, cricketer (Test for Eng), dies
- 1946 Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Austrian Nazi (SS/SD), hanged at 43
- 1948 Henry Foley, cricketer (one Test for NZ, scored 2 & 2), dies at 42
- 1968 Ellis Kinder, American baseball player, dies at 54
- 1983 Kelso, American racehorse (b. 1957)
- 2003 László Papp, Hungarian boxer (b. 1926)
- 2011 Dan Wheldon, English auto racer (b. 1978)
- 2012 Eddie Yost, American MLB player, dies from cardiovascular disease at 86
October in History
![Grim History of London's Speakers' Corner]()
Grim History of London's Speakers' Corner
Nowhere in England is the principal of free speech embodied more than at Speakers’ Corner in London’s Hyde Park. But this right was won through death and protest.
October 14, 1855![Hurricane on the Way? Don't Worry]()
Hurricane on the Way? Don't Worry
A cosy assurance from a BBC weather forecaster for viewers not to worry about an impending storm has gone down as the most spectacular mis-forecast in history.
October 15, 1987![The Tragedy of Aberfan]()
The Tragedy of Aberfan
One hundred and sixteen young children died on this day when an avalanche of coal tip waste and debris thundered down a hillside and engulfed their school.
October 21, 1966![Jumping Jacques Makes First Parachute Descent]()
Jumping Jacques Makes First Parachute Descent
Daredevil André-Jacques Garnerin took to the sky in a hydrogen balloon on this day and after cutting himself adrift performed the first ‘parachute’ descent.
October 22, 1797
