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

Sports History On This Day: April 16
April 16, 1912 – The Pittsburgh Pirates turned in a fielding rarity of a 5-3-7

Good Friday 1972 (Bloody ‘Bedlam’ at the Civic Centre
Over the years, there have been many instances in hockey arenas in which a

Sports History On This Day: April 15
April 15, 1911 – 4 Ks in one inning? We all know that aside is

Super Bowl XXXIV (Rams vs. Titans): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl XXXIV, which was held on January 30, 2000, at

Sports History On This Day: April 14
April 14, 1969 – A historic day indeed as the first Major league baseball game

NHL’s Battle of Quebec and the Good Friday Massacre
As the Easter weekend approaches, it always calls to mind the decades of the

Remembering Mark “The Bird” Fidrych (1954 – 2009)
MLB All-Star Mark Fidrych passed away in a truck accident on April 13, 2009.

Sports History On This Day: April 13
April 13, 1942 – Talk about a tightly contested match. At the 9th US Masters