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: April 13
April 13, 1942 – Talk about a tightly contested match. At the 9th US Masters
Sports History On This Day: April 12
There are a couple of historic firsts in sports that occurred on this date.
The Incredible Rookie Class of the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers
This episode of Pro Football in the 1970s is dedicated to the late Frank
Sports History On This Day: April 11
April 11, 1936 – The Detroit Red Wings won their first-ever Stanley Cup. The final
Where Is He? The Disappearance of Avatus Stone
This episode of “When Football Was Football” is indeed a special one. Although it
Remembering the Astrodome (The Eight Wonder of the World)
Once it was the iconic symbol of Houston. Dubbed “The Eighth Wonder of the
Sports History On This Day: April 10
April 10, 1947 – Major Historic Sports Event Here! Jackie Robinson, famously put his name in ink
Sports History On This Day: April 9
April 9, 1912 – The legendary Fenway Park has what many consider the first somewhat