August 8, 1870 – The very first America’s Cup boating race where the New York Yacht Club’s first defense of America’s Cup as the ‘Magic’ of the NYYC outsailed the ‘Cambria’ from the Royal Thames Yacht Club of England, who took a disappointing 8th place in the event.
The website SailingScuttleButt.com says that this race opened up the window of popularity for the event as it, “made a great impression on both the competitors and the horde of spectators. From that point on, a match for the Cup has taken place on average every 4.3 years.”
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: August 17
August 17, 1957 – They were accidental but talk about hitting someone when they are

Conflict of Interest: The Summer of Jan Opperman
In the seventh episode of “Tim Coffeen Talks Indy Car and Racing History,” Tim

1986 New York Giants: The Greatest Season in G-Men History?
The New York Giants joined the National Football League in 1925. From that time

Sports History On This Day: August 16
August 16, 1920 – It was a truly tragic day in MLB history. A pitch

Fantasy Football? When Halas Played Rockne (Great Lakes vs. Notre Dame 1918)
With electronic, board, and online fantasy games extremely popular for both football and baseball

Sports History On This Day: August 15
August 15, 1971 – It wasn’t exactly the easiest and most rewarding way to win

Sports History On This Day: August 14
August 14, 1936 – If I gave you a final sports score of 19-8 what

Sports History On This Day: August 13
August 13, 1910 – A mirror image on the baseball diamond? The Brooklyn Superbas and the