August 24, 1908 – Technology had a breakthrough to help fans stay connected to their team, even when out of town. Though John McGraw and his New York Giants baseball club were battling another top contender, the Pirates some 500 miles away in Pittsburgh, the scoring was shown on electric display baseball diamonds known as “Compton’s Baseball Bulletin” at Madison Square Garden and at the Gotham Theater on 125th Street in the Big Apple.
The debut of these screens had the promise of being used for the remainder of the 1908 season, right through the World Series to keep the fans in NYC informed on how their team was doing in games. It is a far cry from having the information in our pockets like we do today but 120 years ago, this was the cat’s meow.
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