Chronology of
Sports

1520

October 15

• King Henry VIII of England orders bowling lanes at Whitehall. [1]

1540

February 9

• The first recorded race meet in England (Roodee Fields, Chester). [1]

1653

December 1

• An athlete from Croydon is reported to have run 20 miles from Saint Albans to London in less than 90 minutes. [1]

1659

September 30

• Peter Stuyvesant of New Netherlands forbids tennis playing during religious services. [1]

1681

January 6

• First recorded boxing match (Duke of Albemarle's butler versus his butcher). [1]

1722

April 30

• The game of Billiards is mentioned in the New England Courant. [1]

1733

May 6

• First international boxing match: Bob Whittaker beats Tito di Carni. [1]

1734

May 20

• First Jockey Club forms in South Carolina. [1]

1743

August 10

• Earliest recorded prize fighting rules formulated. [1]

August 16

• Earliest boxing code of rules formulated in England (Jack Broughton). [1]

1751

May 1

• The first cricket match is played in America. [1] [5]

1780

May 4

• Charles Bunbury on Diomed wins first Epsom Derby. [1]

1789

June 20

• Oath of the Tennis Court (for a new constitution) in France taken. [1]

1793

September 29

• Tennis is first mentioned in an English sporting magazine. [1]

1804

August 25

• Alice Meynell becomes first woman jockey (England). [1]

1810

December 10

• Tom Cribb (Great Britain) beats Tom Molineaus (US-Negro) in first interracial boxing championship (40 rounds). [1]

1811

January 9

• First Women's Golf Tournament held. [1]

1818

May 11

• Cincinnati Reds Hod Eller no-hits Saint Louis Cardinals, 6-0. [1]

October 8

• Two English boxers are first to use padded gloves. [1]

1823

April 22

• R J Tyers patents roller skates. [1]

1832

January 2

• First Curling club in US (Orchard Lake Curling Club) opens. [1]

1839

June 12

• First baseball game played in America. [1]

1840

January 1

• First recorded bowling match in US, Knickerbocker Alleys, New York City, New York. [1]

1844

August 29

• First white-indian lacrosse game in Montreal, Indians win. [1]

1845

May 13

• Over 50,000 attend a horse race at Union course in Queen's County, New York, seeing Peytona of Tennessee beat Fashion, champ of the North. [187.332]

September 23

• First baseball team, New York Knickerbockers organize, adopt rule code. [1]

September 24

• First baseball team is organized. [1]

October 22

• The first known box score appears in the New York Morning News a month after the first set of rules are written by Alexander Cartwright and some his fellow Knickerbockers. [56]

1846

June 19

• In Hoboken, New Jersey, USA, the first baseball game under recognizable modern rules is played (Cartwright Rules); New York Nines 23, Knickerbockers 1. [1] [5]

1849

December 21

• First US skating club formed (Philadelphia). [1]

1851

February 11

• First cricket first-class game in Australia, Tasmania versus Victoria, Launceston. [1]

June 3

• First baseball uniforms worn. Knickerbockers wear straw hat, white. [1]

August 22

• Yacht America wins first Royal Yacht Squadron Cup (America's Cup). [1]

1853

October 12

• John Morrissey wins boxing title, when Yankee Sullivan leaves ring after 36th round to slug Morrissey's fans. [1]

1856

March 26

• New South Wales' first first-class game, versus Victoria at Melbourne; New South Wales won. [1]

1857

January 15

• First first-class game in Sydney, New South Wales versus Victoria at The Domain. [1]

January 22

• National Association of Baseball Players founded, New York. [1]

March 7

• Baseball decides 9 innings constitutes an official game, not 9 runs. [1]

October 24

• World's first soccer club, Sheffield F.C., founded in England. [1]

1858

April 12

• First US billiards championship is held in Detroit (Michael J Phelan wins). [1]

July 20

• Fee first charged to see a baseball game (50 cents) (New York beats Brooklyn 22-18). [1]

September 10

• John Holden hits the first recorded home run (Brooklyn versus New York). [1]

1859

May 31

• Philadelphia Athletics organize to play "town ball" became baseball 20 years later. [1]

July 1

• First intercollegiate baseball game, Amherst beats Williams 66-32. [1]

July 20

• At a racetrack on Long Island, about 1,500 fans become the first ever to pay to see a baseball game. The spectators spend fifty cents to watch New York defeat Brooklyn, 22-18. [56]

1860

February 22

• Organized baseball played in San Francisco for the first time. [1]

May 6

• San Francisco Olympic Club, first US athletic club founded. [1]

October 17

• First pro golf tournament held (Scotland) (Willie Park wins). [1]

1861

February 4

• Wearing ice skates, the champion Atlantics defeat the Charter Oak Club, 36-27 on a baseball game played on frozen Litchfield Pond in South Brooklyn. [56]

1862

May 15

• Union Grounds, in Brooklyn New York, the first baseball enclosure, opens. [1] [56]

December 25

• 40,000 watch the Union army men play baseball at Hilton Head South Carolina. [1]

December 29

• Bowling ball invented. [1]

1863

January 4

• Four-wheeled roller skates patented by James Plimpton of New York. [1]

May 5

• Joe Coburn knocks out Mike McCoole for US boxing title in 63rd round. [1]

October 26

• Football Association forms in England, standardizing soccer. [1]

1866

May 8

• Australian Rules Football is created. [1]

May 21

• First-class debut of G F Grace aged 15 years 159 days. [1]

July 23

• Cincinnati Baseball club (The Reds) established. [1]

1867

June 19

• First Belmont Stakes, Ruthless wins. [1]

1868

April 3

• An Hawaiian surfs on highest wave ever, he rides a 50' tidal wave. [1]

May 25

• Australian Aboriginal Cricket tour of England begins versus Surrey Gentlemen. [1]

May 31

• Dr James Moore (United Kingdom) wins first recorded bicycle race, (2k) velocipede race at Parc fde Saint Cloud, Paris. [1]

June 10

• Second Belmont Stakes, General Duke wins. [1]

November 26

• First baseball game played in enclosed field in San Francisco, at 25th and Folsom. [1]

1869

March 15

• Cincinnati Red Stockings become the first pro baseball team. [1]

April 17

• First pro baseball games-Cincinnati Reds 24, Cincinnati amateurs 15. [1]

April 18

• First international cricket match, held in San Francisco, is won by Californian. [1]

May 16

• Cincinnati Reds play their first baseball game, win 41-7. [1]

May 31

• Heavy rain postpones the Red Stockings baseball game against the Anioch Nine; first rain-out in professional baseball. [56]

June 5

• Third Belmont Stakes, Fenian wins. [1]

November 6

• First intercollegiate American football game played in New Brunswick, New Jersey (Rutgers College 6, Princeton University 4). [1] [66.49]

December 18

• Canada's Hamilton Foot Ball Club plays its first game. [1]

1870

May 10

• Jem Mace defends his heavyweight crown against Irish champion Joe Coburn, it lasts one hour and 17 minutes, and neither is struck by a punch. [1]

August 8

• Magic (US) defeats Cambria (England) in second running of America's Cup. [1]

August 16

• Fred Goldsmith demonstrates curve ball isn't an optical illusion. [1]

November 27

• New York Times dubs baseball "The National Game". [1]

1871

January 20

• The Boston Red Stockings baseball team are incorporated by Ivers Whitney Adams. [56]

January 26

• British Rugby Union forms. [1]

March 17

• National Association of Professional Base-Ball players organized. [1]

March 27

• First international rugby game-Scotland 1, England 0. [1]

May 4

• First baseball league game (National Association of Baseball Players), (Fort Wayne Keiongas 2, Cleveland 0) Deacon Jim White gets first hit, a double. Bill Lennon becomes first catcher to throw a runner out trying to steal second. [1] [56]

October 21

• First US amateur outdoor athletic games (New York). [1]

October 23

• Columbia and Sappho (US) beat Livonia (United Kingdom) in third America's Cup. [1]

October 30

• Philadelphia Athletics beat Chicago for first National Association baseball pennant. [1]

1872

March 16

• First FA Cup Final: Wanderers-Royal Engineers 1-0 in Bolton. [1]

1873

May 23

• First Preakness: G Barbee aboard Survivor wins in 2:43. [1]

May 27

• First Preakness Stakes won by Survivor (2:43). [1]

September 23

• Tom Allen beats Mike McCale for Heavyweight Boxing title. [1]

October 18

• Columbia Princeton Rutgers and Yale set rules for collegiate football. [1]

December 6

• First international football game in US: Yale 2, Eton (England) 1. [1]

1874

February 23

• Major Walter Winfield patents game called "sphairistike" (lawn tennis). [1]

February 27

• Baseball first played in England, at Lord's Cricket Grounds. [1]

March 2

• Baseball batter's box is officially adopted. [1]

May 14

• Harvard beats University of McGill (Montréal) in football, 3-0. [1]

May 26

• Second Preakness: William Donohue aboard Culpepper wins in 2:56.5. [1]

July 29

• Major Walter Copton Wingfield patents a portable tennis court. [1]

July 30

• First baseball teams to play outside US, Boston-Philadelphia in British Isles. [1]

December 27

• At Palmar de Junco, a Havanan team plays Matanzas in the first documented baseball game played in Cuba. The game is called after seven innings due to darkness with Havana leading, 51-9. [56]

1875

March 3

• First recorded hockey game (Montréal). [1]

May 11

• George "Charmer" Zettlein pitches the first 9 inning shutout. [1]

May 12

• First recorded shutout in pro baseball, Chicago 1, Saint Louis 0. [1]

May 17

• First Kentucky Derby: Oliver Lewis aboard Aristides wins in 2:37.75. [1]

May 28

• Third Preakness: L Hughes aboard Tom Ochiltree wins in 2:43.5. [1]

November 13

• Harvard-Yale game is first college football contest with uniforms. [1]
• National Bowling Association organized in New York City. [1]

1876

February 2

• Baseball's National League officially forms in the USA with teams in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Hartford, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia, and Saint Louis. [1] [56]

February 3

• Albert Spalding with $800 starts sporting goods company, manufacturing first official baseball, tennis ball, basketball, golf ball, and football. [1]

March 16

• Nelly Saunders and Rose Harland fight first female boxing match (New York). [1]

March 17

• First record high jump over 6 feet (Marshall Jones Brooks). [1]

March 25

• Glasgow first soccer match Scotland-Wales (4-0). [1]

April 1

• First official National League baseball game (Boston-6, Philadelphia-5). [1]

April 2

• Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Caps play first National League game, in Philadelphia. [1]

April 15

• First game of the Alleghenies professional baseball in Pittsburgh, playing at Union Park. [56]

April 22

• First National League baseball game, 3000 fans, Boston Braves beat Philadelphia Athletics 6-5 in Philadelphia; Athletics' Wes Fisler scores league's first run. [1] [56]

April 25

• Chicago Cubs first National League game, beats Louisville 4-0 (first National League shutout). [1]

May 2

• In Cincinnati, Ohio, Chicago's Ross Barnes hits the first home run in the history of baseball's National League. [1] [56]

May 15

• Second Kentucky Derby: Bobby Swim aboard Vagrant wins in 2:38.25. [1]

May 23

• First National League no-hitter (Joe Borden, Boston). [1]

May 25

• First tie in National League history (Athletics and Louisville, 2-2 in 14). [1]
• 4th Preakness: G Barbee aboard Shirley wins in 2:44.75. [1]

June 14

• Philadelphia Athletics' George Hall becomes first major league baseball player to hit for cycle. [1] [56]

June 17

• First to hit two home runs; and score five runs in 9 inning National League game (George Hall, Athletics). [1]

June 27

• First National League member to get six hits in 9 inning game (Dave Force, Philadelphia Athletics). [1]

July 15

• Baseballs first no-hitter, Saint Louis' George W Bradley no-hits Hartford. [1]

July 20

• First US intercollegiate track meet held, Saratoga, New York; Princeton wins. [1]

August 12

• Madeline (US) beats Countess Dufferin (Canada) in fourth America's Cup. [1]

November 23

• Columbia, Harvard and Princeton form Intercollegiate Football Association. [1]

December 7

• New York Mutuals and Philadelphia Athletics expelled from National League for not completing schedule. [1]

1877

February 20

• International Association (minor baseball league) organizes. [1]

March 15

• Commencement of first Test Cricket, Australia versus England at Melbourne Cricket Ground. [1]

March 16

• Charles Bannerman completes first Test cricket century, 165 versus England. [1]

March 17

• Bill Midwinter completes Test Crickets' first 5-wkt haul, 5-78 versus England. [1]

March 31

• Test Cricket debut of Fred "Demon" Spofforth, Australia versus England Melbourne Cricket Ground. [1]

April 12

• Catcher's mask first used in a baseball game. [1]

May 12

• Ottawa Rough Riders first outside competition versus Britannia. [1]

May 22

• Third Kentucky Derby: Billy Walker aboard Baden-Baden wins in 2:38. [1]

May 24

• 5th Preakness: C Holloway aboard Cloverbrook wins in 2:45.5. [1]

July 9

• The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club begins its first lawn tennis tournament at Wimbledon, outside of London. The tournament originates many rules of tennis, including court size, scoring of a game, wins in six game wins a set, and allowing a server fault. [129]

July 19

• The final match of the first Tennis match at Wimbledon is held. W. Spencer Gore defeats William Marshall 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 in 48 minutes. [1] [129]

September 30

• First US amateur swim meet (New York Athletic Club). [1]

December 22

• "American Bicycling Journal" first published (Boston Massachusetts). [1]

1878

February 12

• Frederick Thayer patents the catcher's mask (pat # 200,358). [1]

March 13

• Oxford defeats Cambridge in their first golf match. [1]

May 8

• Paul Hines makes baseball's first unassisted triple play. [1]

May 21

• 4th Kentucky Derby: Jimmy Carter aboard Day Star wins in 2:37.25. [1]

May 27

• 6th Preakness: C Holloway aboard Duke of Magenta wins in 2:41.75. [1]
• Australia Cricket 41 and 12-1 defeat MCC 33 and 19. [1]

1879

January 2

• First Test match hat-trick, Fred Spofforth at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. [1]
• Northwestern League (minor baseball league) organized, Rockford Illinois. [1]

January 23

• National Archery Association formed, Crawfordsville Indiana. [1]

March 27

• Longest championship fight (136 rounds). [1]

May 20

• 5th Kentucky Derby: Charlie Shauer aboard Lord Murphy wins in 2:37. [1]

May 24

• 7th Preakness: L Hughes aboard Harold wins in 2:40.5. [1]

August 12

• First National Archery Association tournament (Chicago). [1]

September 19

• Thomas Ray becomes youngest to break a world track and field record pole-vaulting 11' 2.25" at age 17 years and 198 days. [1]

September 29

• National League owners meeting in Buffalo adopt the reserve clause, giving each team exclusive rights to their players. [1]

October 1

• Cincinnati Enquirer publishes first report on baseball reserve clause. [1]

November 2

• In a six-day footrace a Mr Weston loses to a horse, 900 to 885 km. [1]