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
The Celtic’s Final Stand: Story of the 1969 NBA Finals
The decade of the 1960s in the NBA belonged to the Boston Celtics. In
Sports History On This Day: May 22
May 22, 1884 – Pitcher Hugh Daily struck out 13 hitters. That may not sound
Sports History On This Day: May 21
May 21, 1930 – This story is pretty incredible! New Yankees legend Babe Ruth hit three Home
Sports History On This Day: May 20
May 20, 1897 – At just the second-ever playing of the British Open Men’s Golf, an
Sports History On This Day: May 19
May 19, 1973 – Riding perhaps the most famous racehorse of all time, Secretariat, jockey Ron
Sports History On This Day: May 18
May 18, 1912 – The Detroit Tigers organization was livid with the American League Baseball
Starless: The 1947 Pittsburgh Steelers (The Team’s First Winning Season)
By 1946, when the Steelers played their 14th season, Pittsburgh’s NFL franchise had fielded
Sports History On This Day: May 17
May 17, 1927 – Here is a wild baseball game for you! Back on this