September 7, 1896 – The first automobile race was held on a closed-circuit track. The course was at the Narragansett Trotting Park in Cranston, Rhode Island. The race competition itself was won by a driver named A. H. Whiting interestingly enough in an electric car built by the Riker Electric Vehicle Company.
That company was founded by a man named Andrew Riker who created the Company in Brooklyn in 1888. In 1894 he built his first four-wheel car by putting a pair of Remington bicycles together powered by an electric motor.
That year he also began building an electric racer that competed against gasoline cars and proved that the electric car could defeat a combustion engine in a short-span race. The economy of fueling it and the longevity of how long it would run before recharging were issues that engineers 125 years later are still coping with.
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: July 13
July 13, 1930 – The first-ever football (soccer) World Cup competition begins in Uruguay. When
Sports History On This Day: July 12
July 12, 1931 – Crowd control or crowd in control? It was an odd occurrence
The Incredible Run of the 1966 to 1971 Baltimore Orioles
For nearly twenty years (1966-85), the Baltimore Orioles were a team to be reckoned
How Did Miami Win Super Bowl VII? By Losing Super Bowl VI?
A former running back for the 1972 Undefeated Miami Dolphins spoke to me recently
Sports History On This Day: July 11
July 11, 1950 – In Chicago at good ole Comiskey Park, the 17th All-Star Baseball
Sports History On This Day: July 10
July 10, 1968 – The National League of Major League Baseball announced that it would
Sports History On This Day: July 9
July 9, 1877 – The First-ever Wimbledon tennis championship tournament began. It was truly a
Sports History On This Day: July 8
July 8, 1989 – It was the end of a brutal era in the world