May 24, 1935 – A landmark event occurred at the ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio. President Franklin D. Roosevelt flicked the switch ceremoniously from the Nation’s Capitol and the lights went on for a Major League baseball game for the first time in history!
Despite the neigh-sayers, National League President Ford Frick embraced the technology in a speech while in attendance saying, “One game of course, but the players were not handicapped in any way that I could see and I believe we will have more of it in 1936.”
Very prophetic words indeed as look at the amount of night baseball games played in this era of the sport. The Reds held on to win it 2-1 over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies in front of a crowd of over 20,000. According to a post on OfftheBenchBaseball.com, there are twice as many MLB night games played nowadays as there are daytime versions.
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: September 24
September 24, 1919 – It was a sign of good things to come when then,
Sports History On This Day: September 23
September 23, 1845 – The first organized baseball team, the NY Knickerbockers formed, after
Sports History On This Day: September 22
September 1927 – As our late friend Frank Reading would say, “This fight was one
Sports History On This Day: September 21
September 21, 1955 – The end of an era in the ring was occurring. It
Sports History On This Day: September 19
September 19, 1901 – The world of sports briefly stopped, at least here in the
Sports History On This Day: September 18
September 18, 1938 – Possibly the lowest scoring victory in NFL history was accomplished. We
Quick Guide to Betting on English Premier League Matches
The English Premier League attracts billions in betting volume each season. Understanding basic betting
Sports History On This Day: September 17
September 17, 1954 – Re-matches in title fights generally have taken a while to reschedule