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: May 17
May 17, 1927 – Here is a wild baseball game for you! Back on this
Dick the Bruiser: The Story of “The World’s Most Dangerous Wrestler”
Dick the Bruiser was a force to be reckoned with in and out of
Sports History On This Day: May 16
May 16, 1976 – The Montreal Canadiens win game four to sweep the Stanley Cup
Sports History On This Day: May 15
May 15, 1953 – Legendary boxer Rocky Marciano stepped into the ring in defense of
Sports History On This Day: May 14
May 14, 1913 – Washington Senator pitcher Walter Johnson, had his amazing MLB record of scoreless innings
Sports History On This Day: May 13
May 13, 1905 – World heavyweight boxing champion James J. Jeffries retired undefeated after 7 title defenses.
The Legend of Taro Tsujimoto and the 1974 NHL Draft
Drafts have been going on now in professional sports leagues for decades and occasionally,
Sports History On This Day: May 12
May 12, 1979 – Women’s tennis star Chris Evert Lloyd had her amazing run of 125 matches