August 3, 1852 – It was the first American intercollegiate sporting event that had ever taken place. The Harvard heavyweight rowing crew competed against their rivals Yale on Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire. Harvard triumphed by 2 lengths in over 2 miles over the Eli rowing group.
This started the competitive athletic rivalry between the two Eastern Universities. Most famously the football rivalry between the schools dates back to 1875 and is the second-oldest rivalry in college football, but as we see these two were rivals long before that.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network

The Digital Spectator: How Global Broadcast Technology Transformed Indigenous Sports into World-Class Commodities
The 1964 Tokyo Olympics changed Judo, but not because of medals. The Olympics were

Year of the Rocket: Toronto Argonaut History From 1991
It was 1991, and Raghib “Rocket” Ismail was about to be the #1 overall

Unraveling Legends: A Historical Review of the NFL’s Greatest Quarterbacks
The National Football League (NFL) has been a cornerstone of American sports culture since

Minnesota’s Most Winnable Super Bowl (IX)
Every pro football fan knows that the Minnesota Vikings went to four Super Bowls

Boxing Titles: Close But No Cigar
In this episode, I am going to be focusing on several boxers who had

Defying Destiny: The Most Miraculous League Title Wins in Soccer History
A domestic league championship is often called the truest test in soccer. Unlike the

Super Bowl XXII (Broncos vs. Redskins): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl XXII, which was held on January 31, 1988, between

1971 Dallas Cowboys: Their First Lombardi Victory
Year after year my brother and I waited for our favorite team, the Dallas