Sports History Oddities On This Day2026-07-26The 800-meter record that outlived an eraOn July 26, 1983, Jarmila Kratochvilova ran 800 meters in 1:53.28 in Munich. Forty-three years later, it is still the longest-standing individual record in athletics.
Sports History Oddities On This Day2026-07-25The 292-mile swim that took nearly four daysOn July 25, 1940, John Sigmund began a 292-mile solo swim down the Mississippi River, a record-setting endurance feat that kept him in the water for about 90 hours.
Sports History Oddities On This Day2026-07-24The marathon winner who crossed first, then lost the goldOn July 24, 1908, Dorando Pietri reached the Olympic marathon stadium first, was helped through repeated collapses, and was disqualified, leaving Johnny Hayes as champion.
Sports History Oddities On This Day2026-07-23The World Cup quarter-final that turned 3–0 into 5–3On July 23, 1966, Portugal fell 3–0 behind North Korea in a World Cup quarter-final, then Eusébio scored four goals as Portugal won 5–3.
Sports History Oddities On This Day2026-07-22The inning that gave Curt Walker two triplesOn July 22, 1926, Curt Walker hit two triples in the same inning as Cincinnati erupted for 11 runs, becoming the first post-1901 major-league player to do it.
Sports History Oddities On This Day2026-07-21The man who went around the world without an engineOn July 21, 2012, Erden Eruç completed the first solo human-powered circumnavigation, rowing oceans and crossing land by bicycle and on foot.1
Sports History Oddities On This Day2026-07-20The Tour winner who finished second five times firstOn July 20, 1980, Joop Zoetemelk finally won the Tour de France after five previous runner-up finishes, turning a decade of near-misses into one of cycling's strangest victories.
Sports History Oddities On This Day2026-07-19The shortstop who made three outs, then hit a home runOn July 19, 1909, Neal Ball completed baseball's first officially recognized modern unassisted triple play, then hit an inside-the-park home run in his next at-bat.
Sports History Oddities On This Day2026-07-18The scoreboard that couldn't count to 10On July 18, 1976, Nadia Comaneci became the first Olympic gymnast to score a perfect 10, but the arena scoreboard could only display 1.00.
Sports History Oddities On This Day2026-07-17The World Cup final that ended 0-0 and still crowned a championOn July 17, 1994, Brazil beat Italy on penalties after 120 scoreless minutes, making the World Cup final an unprecedented blank-score classic.
Sports History Oddities On This Day2026-07-16The Wimbledon final where William beat his twinOn July 16, 1883, William Renshaw beat his twin brother Ernest in a five-set Wimbledon title match, after Ernest fought through the draw to challenge him.
Sports History Oddities On This Day2026-07-15The first no-hitter was a 2-0 messOn July 15, 1876, George Bradley threw the first officially recognized major-league no-hitter, but St. Louis also committed eight errors in the 2-0 win.
