This week read about pencil neck geeks, the strike out king & ABC's Wide World of Sports
April 24
1880 Amateur Athletic Association, governing body for men's athletics in England & Wales, is founded in Oxford, England
1894 French cyclist Henri Desgra nge rides 100km in world record 2:39:18
1894 Phillies Lave Cross hits for cycle vs Bkln Dodgers
1901 The Chicago White Stockings win against the Cleveland Blues in the 1st game played in baseb all's American League
1905 First-class cricket debut of Sir Jack Hobbs, "The Master" for Surreyv the "Gentlemen of England" (18 & 88)
1905 Senators execute a triple-play & beat Yankees 4-3
1917 Yankee lefty George Mogridge no-hits Red Sox 2-1 at Fenway
1933 1st major league to get 4 consecutive doubles in 9 inn (Dick Bartell)
1945 Albert B "Happy" Chandler is named 2nd baseball commissioner
1956 AL umpire Frank Umont is 1st to wear glasses in a regular season game
1957 Chicago Cub pitchers walk NL record 9 Reds in 5th inning
1958 Lee Walls hits 3 HRs, as Cubs beat Dodgers 15-2
1963 17th NBA Championship: Boston Celtics beat LA Lakers, 4 games to 2
1965 NY Met Casey Stengel wins his 3,000 game as manager
1966 Atlanta Braves win NL-record 18 straight home games (17 in Milwaukee)
1967 21st NBA Championship: Philadelphia 76ers beat SF Warriors, 4 games to 2
1974 NFL grants franchise to Tampa Bay Bucaneers
1978 Angels Nolan Ryan strikes out 15 Mariners, 20th time he has 15 in game
1981 Bill Shoemaker wins his 8,000th race, 2000 more than any other jockey
1981 San Antonio blocks 20 Golden State shots to set NBA reg game record
1982 Cards win 12th game in a row; 7-4 over Phillies
1988 NFL Draft: Auburn tight end Aundray Bruce first pick by Atlanta Falcons
1992 George Steinbrenner drops his suits against baseball
1994 David Robinson scores ties 7th highest total in the NBA - 71
1994 NY Rangers sweep NY Islanders in NHL playoffs
1994 NFL Draft: Ohio State defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson first pick by Cincinnati Bengals
1996 Highest scoring baseball game in 17 years - Twins 24, Tigers 11
2004 NFL Draft: Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning first pick by San Diego Chargers
April 25
1876 Chicago Cubs 1st NL game, beats Louisville 4-0 (1st NL shutout)
1901 Erve Beck hits American League's 1st home run
1901 In last of 9th, Detroit Tigers, trailing by 13-4, score 10 runs to win one of greatest comeback s in baseball (1st game in Detroit)
1905 Latest day of 1st-class cricket in an Aust season (NSW v Qld)
1920 Magda Julin of Sweden beats team mate Svea Noren for the gold medal in women's singles figure skating at the Antwerp Olympics
1933 NY Yankee Russ Van Atta shuts out Washington Senators 16-0
1947 Lou Thesz beats Whipper Watson in St Louis, to win National Wrestling Association world heavyweight title
1950 Chuck Cooper becomes the 1st African American to be drafted in to the NBA (for Boston Celtics)
1952 6th NBA Championship: Minneapolis Lakers beat NY Knicks , 4 games to 3
1964 Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: 3-peat for the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 4-0 Game 7 win over Detroit Red Wings for a 4-3 series victory
1965 19th NBA Championship: Boston Celtics beat LA Lakers, 4 games to 1
1974 NFL moves goal posts & adopts sudden-death playoff
1977 Cincinnati Reds tie record of 12 runs in 5th inning beating Braves 23-9
1978 Phillie Phanatic makes 1st appearance
1980 A's manager Billy Martin restrained by umpires from attacking a fan
1981 Seattle Mariners MLB manager Maury Wills is suspended for 2 games after ordering Kingdome grounds crew to enlarge batter's boxes by one foot
1985 For 2nd time, Wayne Gretzky, scores 7 points in a Cup game (3 goals, 4 assists)
1989 Penguin Ma rio Lemuix ties NHL playoff record of 4 goals in 1st period
1991 Lisa Olson brings suit against NFL NE Patriots for sexual harassment
1993 NFL Draft: Washington State quarterback Drew Bled soe first pick by New England Patriots
1997 Seattle Mariner Ken Griffey Jr hits his 250th HR
2009 NFL Draft : Georgia quarter back Matthew Stafford first pick by Detroit Lions
2013 NFL Draft: Central Michigan offensive tackle Eric Fisher first pick by Kansas City Chiefs
2019 NFL Draft: Oklahoma quarter back Kyler Murray #1 pick by Arizona Cardinals
April 26
1905 Cubs Jack McCarthy becomes only major league player to throw out 3 runners at plate in 1 game, all were ends of a double play
1912 1st home run hit at Fenway Park (Hugh Bradley, Red Sox)
1920 Husband and wife team Ludowika & Walter Jakobs son representing Finland, win the pairs skating gold medal at the Antwerp Olympics; Ludowika is the only German-born athlete at the Games
1920 Ice hockey makes its Olympic debut at the Antwerp Games with center Frank Fredrickson scoring 7 goals in Canada's 12-1 drubbing of Sweden in the gold medal match
1931 Lou Gehrig hits a HR but is called out for passing a runner, mistake costs him AL home run crown; he & Babe Ruth tie for season
1935 Frank Boucher is given NHL's Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship permanently for winning it 7 of 11 years
1941 A tradition begins, 1st organ at a baseball stadium (Chicago Cubs)
1950 Last horse race at Havre de Grace Track in Md, is run
1950 U of Miami ends William & Mary straight tennis match victories at 82
1952 Patty Berg scores 64, best competitive round of golf by a woman
1961 Roger Maris hits 1st of 61 homers in 1961
1962 Red Sox Bill Monbouquette no-hits White Sox 1-0
1964 18th NBA Championship : Boston Celtics beat SF Warriors, 4 games to 1
1964 LPGA Title holders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Marilynn Smith retains title; beats Mickey Wright by 1 stroke
1966 Red Auerbach retires as Boston Celtic's coach
1980 Gerard Nijboer runs Dutch record marathon (2:09:01)
1980 Phillies' Steve Carl ton pitches his 6th 1-hitter (beats Cards)
1982 Gene Michael becomes NY Yankee manager for 2nd time
1983 San Antonio spurs beat Denver Nuggets, 152-133 in NBA playoff game
1983 NFL Draft: Stanford quarterback John Elway first pick by Baltimore Colts
1988 NBA approves addition of 3rd referee in 1988-89 season
1988 NY Met Davey Johnson becomes 2nd manager to record 400 victory in 1st 4 years (Al Lopez did it 1st)
1990 Nolan Ryan ties Bob Feller's record of pitching 12 1-hitters
1992 NFL Draft: University of Washington defensive end Steve Emtman from first pick by Indianapolis Colts
1995 Baseball season begins after lengthy strike
2003 NFL Draft: USC quarterback Carson Palmer first pick by Cincinnati Bengals
2008 NFL Draft: University of Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long first pick by Miami Dolphins
2012 NFL Draft: Stanford quarter back Andrew Luck first pick by Indianapolis Colts
2015 35th London Marathon: Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge & Ethiopian Tigist Tufa win
2017 Gift Ngoepe becomes 1st black African to play in Major League Baseball, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
2018 NFL Draft: Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield first pick by Cleveland Browns; 4 QBs taken in top 10 selections for first time in history
April 27
1908 IV Summer (Modern) Olympic Games open in London
1918 Giants' 9-0 winning start & Dodgers' 0-9 losing streak are stopped
1920 Sweden ta kes the figure skating double a t the Antwerp Olympics when Gillis Grafstrom wins his first of 3 consecutive men's gold medals; Magda Julin earlier wins the women's singles event
1924 Antwerp soccer tie Belgium-Netherlands 1-1
1926 In the Giants' 9-8 win over Phillies, Mel Ott, 17, 1st appearance
1929 Ryder Cup Golf, Moortown GC: Great Britain beats US, 7-5 in bitterly cold and snowy conditions
1944 Boston Brave Jim Tobin no-hits Bkln Dodgers, 2-0
1953 Wrestler Freddie Blassie coins term "Pencil neck geek"
1956 Undefeated world heavyweight boxing champion Rocky Marciano, retires from the ring
1961 NFL officially recognizes Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio
1973 KC Royal Steve Busby no-hits Detroit Tigers, 3-0
1981 1st female soccer ofificial is hired by NASL
1982 NFL Draft: University of Texas defensive end Kenneth Sims first pick by New England Patriots
1983 Nolan Ryan becomes strikeout king (3,5 09), passing Walter Johnson
1984 Cleveland Indians beat Detroit Tigers, 8-4, in 19 inings
1990 Villanova's women set a 6,000 m relay world record of 17:18:10
1992 NY Mets trade DavideCone to Toronto Blue Jays for Jeff Kent
1994 7th longest NHL game at 125 min 43 sec: Buffalo Sabres beat New Jersey Devils 1-0 on a goal by Dave Hannan
1994 Graeme Obree bicycles world record time (52,713 km)
1994 Twins righty Scott Erickson no-hits Brewers 6-0
2017 NFL Draft: Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett first pick by Cleveland Browns
April 28
1901 Cleveland's Bock Baker gives up a record 23 singles as White Sox beat Blues (Cleveland Blues!) 13-1
1923 Wembley Sta dium opens - Bolton Wanderers vs West Ham United (FA Cup)
1930 1st night organized baseball game played in Independence, Kansas
1931 Program for woman athletes approved for 1932 Olympics track & field
1934 Soccer team Blue White '34 forms
1952 St Louis Browns lend 2 black minor leaguers to Hankyu Braves of Japan
1957 LPGA Western Open Women's Golf, Montgomery CC: Patty Berg wins her 6th WO by 1 stroke from Wiffi Smith
1961 Warren Spahn pitches 2nd no hitter at 41 beats SF Giants, 1-0
1966 20th NBA Championship: Boston Celtics beat LA Lakers, 4 games to 3
1972 Courts award 1968 Kentucky Derby prize money to 2nd place winner due to the winner being given drugs before the race
1985 Billy Martin named NY Yankee manager for 4th time
1987 NBA announces expansion to Charlotte NC & Miami Flain 1988 & Minneapolis Minn & Orlando Flain 1989
1987 NFL Draft: University of Miami quarterback Vinny Testaverde first pick by Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1988 Baltimore Orioles lose AL record 21 games in a row
1988 NJ Devils set all time playoff mark for penalty minutes
1990 Boston Celtics score most points in a playoff, beat NY Knicks 157-128
1992 Brewers beat Blue Jays 22-2 with AL record 31 hits in 9 innings
2003 Andre Agassi recaptures the world no.1 ranking to become the oldest top-ranked male in the history ofthe ATP rankings (33 years, 13 days
2007 NFL Draft: LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell first pick by Oakland Raiders
2011 NFL Draft: Auburn quarterback Cam Newton first pick by Carolina Panthers
2016 NFL Draft: Cal quarter back Jared Goff first pick by Los Angeles Rams
2018 Shaquem Griffin is the first one-handed person to be drafted into the NFL, for the Seattle Seahawks
April 29
1892 Charlie Reilly is baseball's 1st pinch hitter
1901 27th Kenfucky Derby: Jimmy Winkfield on His Eminence wins in 2:07.75
1922 1st official International Weight lifting Federation Champin Tallinn, Estonia
1930 123 runs are scored in 7 major league games
1934 Pittsburgh is last major league city to play a home game on a Sunday
1936 1st pro baseball game in Japan is played Nagoya defeats Daitokyo, 8-5
1961 ABC's "Wide World of Sports" debuts
1980 NFL Draft: Oklahoma running back Billy Sims first pick by Detroit Lions
1981 Phillie Steve Carlton is 1st lefty to strike out 3 ,000 batters
1981 NFL Draft: South Carolina running back George Rogers first pick by New Orleans Saints
1985 Tony Tubbs TKOs Greg Page in 15 for h eavyweight boxing title
1986 Boston Red Sox Roger Clemens strikes out 20 Seattle Mariners
1986 NFL Draft: Auburn running back Bo Jackson first pick by Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1987 Chicago Cub Andre Dawson hits for cycle
1988 Orioles beat White Sox 9-0 for 1st 1988 win after 21 loses
1995 KC Royal John Nonely is 70th to HR on his 1st at bat
1997 KC Royal Chili Davis is 75th to hit 300 HRs
2006 NFL Draft: North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams first pick from Houston Texans
2018 Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal equals his Openera record for most wins at the same event (11 Monte Carlo) with his 11th Barcelona ATP title
April 30
1722 Game of Billiards is mentioned in New England Courant
1903 NY Highlanders (Yankees) 1st home game, (Hilltop Park-168th St & Broadway, Manhattan), they beat Washington Senators, 6-2
1905 First official soccer game between neighbouring countries Belgium-Netherlands; Dutch win, 4-1 at Olympic Stadium, Antwerp
1910 Cleveland Indian Addie Joss wins 2nd no-hitter beating White Sox
1918 Orange Nassau soccer team forms in Groningen
1919 Phillies beat Brooklyn Dodgers 9-0 in 20 innings
1921 American Professional Football Association reorganizes in Akron
1921 1st American Professional Football Association Championship (1920): undefeated Akron Pros awarded inaugural title
1922 Chicago White Sox Charles Robertson perfect games Detroit Tigers, 2-0
1939 Lou Gehrig sets a MLB record playing his 2, 130th consecutive and final game for the New York Yankees
1940 Brooklyn Dodger Tex Carle ton no-hits Cincinnati Reds, 3-0
1946 Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller's 2nd caree MLB no-hitter; beats New York: Yankees, 1-0
1958 Ted Williams is lOth major league player to get 1,000 extra-base hits
1961 LPGA Title holders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Mickey Wrighti wins her 5th major title by 1 stroke from Patty Berg & Louise Suggs
1961 San Francisco Giant Willie Mays hits 4 HRs in a game
1962 LPGA Title holders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Mickey Wright wins her 8th major title in a playoff with Ruth Jessen
1962 Willie Mays hits 4H Rs
1967 Orioles' Stu Miller 8i Steve Barber lose 2-1 despite no-hitting Tigers
1968 3 Oriole pitchers walk 14 NY Yankees in a 9 inning game
1969 Cincinnati Reds pitcher Jim Maloney records his third MLB no-hitter in 10-0 rout of Houston Astros
1970 Cubs Billy Williams is 1st NLer to play in 1,000 consecutive games
1971 25th NBA Championship: Milwaukee beat Balfi Bullets in 4 games
1973 Women's tennis groups end disputes over sanctioning tournaments
1982 Atlanta Braves win record 12th straight from beginning of season
1984 Strong winds cause a 30 min delay in Toronto Blue Jays game
1985 NFL Draft: Virginia Tech defensive end Bruce Smith first pick by Buffalo Bills
1986 Bill Elliott sets alltime NASCAR qualifying record, winning pole for the Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway; 212.809 mph (342.483km/h;44.998 seconds)
1987 Lou Lamoriello is named NJ Devils President
1988 Baltimore Orioles end their record 21-game losing streak by beating the White Sox
1988 NJ Devils beat Caps 3-2 taking 7th game of Patrick Division final
1989 U S beats Costa Rica 1-0, in 3rd round of1990 world soccer cup
1990 As Met pitcher David Cone argues a call at 1st base, 2 Braves score
1997 Atlanta Braves win record 19 games in April
2012 Manchester City defeat Manchester United 1-0 in what is claimed to be the biggest match in the English Premier League's history
2015 NFL Draft: Florida State quarter back Jameis Winston first pick by Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Information for this article was compiled from OnThisDay.com.