October 19, 1873 - Yale University, Princeton University, Columbia University, Rutgers University drafted first code of football rules.

March 2, 1874 - Baseball batter's box officially adopted.

1878 - Newton Heath LYR (Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway) football (soccer) team formed; 1900 - John Henry Davies, brewer, invested in club, in return for some interest in running it; April/May 1902 - name changed to Manchester United; September 1903 - Ernest Mangnall appointed secretary, widely acknowledged as club's first manager; 1907/08 - won Football League Championship for first time; August 30, 1919 - returned to League football after four-year gap caused by WW I; December 193131 - bankruptcy threat; James Gibson, manufacturer of army uniforms, invested £30,000, paid players, got club back on track; May 2005 - control acquired by Malcolm Glazer, owner of Tampa Bay Buccaneers, for $1.47 billion.

February 12, 1878 - Frederick W. Thayer, of Waverly, MA, captain of Harvard University Baseball Club, received a patent for an "Improvement in Masks" ("to protect the face of a player from being hit or injured by a base-ball while in flight toward him, and also at the same time to not materially obstruct his sight. It is usually to be worn by the catcher or person in rear of the striker or bat-wielder"); baseball catcher's mask.

March 13, 1878 - First collegiate golf match played; Oxford defeated Cambridge.

March 31, 1878 - Jack Johnson first black to hold heavyweight boxing title. 

May 31, 1879 - Madison Square Garden I opened; 1889 - torn down; June 16, 1890 - Madison Square Garden II opened (designed by Stanford White); capacity of 17,000; December 15, 1925 - Madison Square Garden III opened; February 11, 1968 - Madison Square Garden IV opened.

April 24, 1880 - Amateur Athletic Association, governing body for men's athletics in England and Wales, founded in Oxford, England.

June 12, 1880 - Lee Richmond of Worcester Ruby Legs pitched first perfect game in major league history in a 1-0 victory over Cleveland Blues.

May 21, 1881 - United States Lawn Tennis Association formed in New York City.

February 7, 1882 - John L. Sullivan won last bare-knuckle heavyweight boxing championship; KOd Paddy Ryan in MS.

May 5, 1884 - Brooklyn Atlantics (owned by Charles Byrne, Joseph Doyle, Ferdinand Abell) played first professional game in American Association; 1885 - renamed Brooklyn Grays; 1888 - renamed Brooklyn Bridegrooms; April 28, 1890 - played first National League game in Brooklyn; 1900 - team acquired by Charles Ebbets; 1908 - 50% of team acquired by Ed and Steve McKeever; April 9, 1913 - Dodgers dedicated 18,000-seat Ebbets Field in game against Phillies; 1941 - Walter O'Malley appointed team's attorney; October of 1950 - O'Malley became president, chief stockholder; May 28, 1957 - National League approved Dodgers', Giants' moves to California; April 18, 1958 - opening day at L.A. Memorial Coliseum, 78,672 fans; April 10, 1962 - opening day at Dodger Stadium (56,000-seat capacity); March 17, 1970 - Peter O'Malley named club president; March 19, 1998 - Major League Baseball owners approved sale of Dodgers to The FOX Group; April 20, 1999 - surpassed 100 million mark in home attendance since Dodger Stadium opened in 1962 (drawn at least 2 million fans for record 27 consecutive seasons); October 28, 1999 - Robert A. Daly, Chairman and Co-CEO of Warner Bros., Warner Music Group since 1980, minority owner of Dodgers, became Chairman and CEO, club's managing partner; January 29, 2004 - Major League Baseball unanimously approved sale of Dodgers to Frank and Jamie McCourt (from Fox Entertainment Group, Robert Daly).

March 2, 1887 - American Trotting Association organized in Detroit.

June 3, 1888 - Poem ''Casey at the Bat,'' by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, first published, in San Francisco Daily Examiner.

March 30, 1889 - John T. Reid opened first U.S. golf course in Yonkers, NY.

August 29, 1889 - First American International pro lawn tennis contest (Newport RI).

June 6, 1890 - United States Polo Association formed, New York City.

August 6, 1890 - Hall-of-fame pitcher Denton True "Cy" Young made his major league debut with Cleveland Spiders of  National League.

September 16, 1890 - George Whitney Calhoun, reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette, co-founder of Green Bay Packers with Curly Lambeau, team's first publicity director, named Green Bay team Packers

November 29, 1890 - First Army-Navy football game played at West Point, NY; Navy won 24-0.

January 15, 1892 - Rules of basketball published for first time, in Springfield, MA., where game originated; January 21, 1892 - James Naismith introduced game of basketball in  Springfield, Massachusetts meeting hall.

April 29, 1892 - Charlie Reilly baseball's first pinch hitter.

March 22, 1893 - First women's collegiate basketball game played at Smith College in Massachusetts.

March 13, 1894 - J L Johnstone of England invented horse racing starting gate.

December 22, 1894 - United States Golf Association (USGA) founded.

February 9, 1895 - First college basketball game played as Minnesota State School of Agriculture defeated Porkers of Hamline College, 9-3.

December 12, 1899 - George F. Grant, dentist of Boston, MA, received patent for a "Golf-Tee" ("a simple, cheap, and effective tee for use in the game of golf, obviating the use of the usual conical mounds of sand or similar material formed by the fingers of the player on which the ball is supported when driving off. While the tee must firmly, yet lightly, support the ball until hit by the player's club, the tee must be so constructed that it will not in any manner interfere with the swing or 'carry through' of the club in making the stroke"); wooden tee with a tapered base and a flexible, tubular, concave shoulder to hold golf ball; didn't market his tees, but gave some away.

May 30, 1911 - First Indianapolis 500 auto race run; Ray Harroun won 200 lap race in Marmon Wasp after 6 hours, 42 minutes, 8 seconds, average speed of 74.59 miles per hour; $14,250 to winner; 1912 - total prize money available was $50,000, highest paying sporting event in the world.

1913 - Ashland Manufacturing Company founded to develop innovative ways of using the slaughterhouse by-products of  meat packing firm Schwarzchild and Sulzberger (original product line include surgical sutures, inexpensive tennis racquets, tennis racquet string and two models of baseball shoes); 1914 - Thomas E. Wilson (former president of Chicago-based Morris & Co. packinghouse) named president, company became separate operating subsidiary to focus on sports oriented products; 1915 - Football jerseys, basketballs and indoor baseballs are added to the line, and the Star tennis racquet is advertised at $.75; 1916 - Ashland Manufacturing is renamed as Thomas E. Wilson Co.; 1918 - $1 million in sales; 1925 - name changed to Wilson-Western Sporting Goods Company; 1931 - name changed to Wilson Sporting Goods Co.; 1941 - made official manufacturer of NFL footballs (only major sports league to use balls manufactured in U.S., in Ada, OH plant since 1955 - 4,000 balls/day, 700,000/year, every Super Bowl since 1969);  1967 - Wilson meat packing acquired by Ling-Temco-Vought; Wilson Sporting Goods restructured as subsidiary; 1970 - acquired by Pepsico; 1975 -tennis sales volume surpassed golf sales for first time; 1989 - acquired by Amer Group Ltd. of Helsinki, Finland.

January 17, 1916 - Rodman Wanamaker (son of founder of Wanamaker’s department stores) invited group of golf professionals, several leading amateur golfers to Taplow Club in New York City, April 10, 1916 -  The Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA) officially established with 35 charter members; October 1916 - first annual PGA Championship took place at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York; James M. Barnes defeated Jock Hutchinson, won trophy and purse of $2,580.

June 11, 1919 - Sir Barton won Belmont Stakes, became horse racing's first Triple Crown winner.

August 11, 1919 - Curly Lambeau (shipping clerk for $250/month at Indian Packing Company), George Calhoun gathered husky young athletes in editorial room of Green Bay (WI)  Press-Gazette building on Cherry Street; organized football team; talked Indian Packing Company into putting up money for jerseys, permitting use of its athletic field for practice; executives identified club in early publicity as project of company, team named "Packers" (Indian Packing Company practically faded from picture before first season half over); August 27, 1921 - Lambeau, backed by two officials of packing plant, obtained franchise in new national pro football league (formed in 1920); forfeited at year's end as cash customers didn't cover costs of team; 1922 - Lambeau attracted other backers, bought franchise back for $250, including $50 of his own money; A.B. Turnbull, Green Bay Press-Gazette general manager, advanced Lambeau, lobbied town businessmen ("The Hungry Five") behind team, formed Green Bay Football Corporation; 1923 - publicl;y-owned nonprofit corporation, 4,750,934 shares outstanding, 112,015 shareholders (no dividends; 200,000 shares = maximum ownership limit); January 31, 1950 - Lambeau resigned (ended 31-year run), became Chicago Cardinals' head coach; April 3, 1956 - voters approved referendum to fund construction of new stadium; September 29, 1957 - facility dedicated; 1965 - renamed Lambeau Field.

October 30, 1919 - Baseball league presidents called for abolishment of spitball.

February 10, 1920 - Baseball outlawed all pitches involving tampering with ball.

February 13, 1920 - Rube Foster organized Negro National Baseball League.

February 22, 1920 - First artificial rabbit used at dog race track in Emeryville, California.

September 6, 1920 - Station WWJ in Detroit broadcast first prizefight on radio; Jack Dempsey knocked out Billy Miske in third round of bout in Benton Harbor, MI.

January 29, 1936 - First members of baseball's Hall of Fame named in Cooperstown, NY, included Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson.

October 2, 1948 - Watkins Glen, in New York Finger Lakes region, hosted first post-World War II road race in United States, under the guidance of Cameron Argetsinger (law student), Sports Car Club of America (SCCA); Frank Griswold, driving 2.9 liter prewar Alfa Romeo, won both events offered,  26.4-mile Junior Prix, 52.8-mile Grand Prix.

1949 - Frank J. Zamboni, inventor and mechanic, received patent for "Model A Zamboni Ice Resurfacer"; 1939 - Zamboni and brother, Lawrence, built 20,000-square-foot enclosed ice skating rink in Paramount, CA; 1942 - transformed tractor to scrape, smooth ice in single pass; May 4, 1965 - Frank J. Zamboni & Company, Inc. registered "Zamboni" trademark first used in July 1962 (resurfacing machines machines and dump attachments therefor).

February 7, 1949 - Joe DiMaggio became first $100,000/year baseball player (New York Yankees).

June 19, 1949 - NASCAR (National Association for Stock-Car Auto Racing) staged first Grand National event on three-quarter-mile dirt track at Charlotte Fairgrounds; only late-model, strictly stock cars allowed in Grand National class; crowd of 13,000 watched as Jim Roper won inaugural event; marked birth of NASCAR racing; Grand Nationals later became Winston Cup Series events; 1946 - race promoter Bill France formed National Championship Stock-Car Circuit; 1947 - season began with 160-mile race at Daytona Beach; December 1947 - NASCAR created.