Sports History Oddities On This Day

2026-08-21

The wicketkeeper who stumped eight batsmen in one match on August 21

On August 21, 1878, Surrey wicketkeeper Ted Pooley made eight stumpings against Kent, setting a first-class record at the time and adding a bizarre chapter to a career that included missing the first Test while in jail.

Sports History Oddities On This Day

The wicketkeeper who stumped eight batsmen in one match on August 21

The 80-game first round that made tennis look like an endurance sport

The 1934 national race won on wheels with no bearings

The midnight swim that made Brojen Das Asia’s first across the English Channel

Phelps's eighth Olympic gold was a relay job on August 17, 2008

The only MLB player to die from a game injury was hit by a pitch on August 16

The wife who became pro football's first woman player by holding for her husband

The champion's only loss came after a terrible start

The 13-year-old who won Olympic gold after losing the U.S. trials

Babe Ruth hit No. 500 — and the Yankees still lost 6–5

The baseball giveaway that ended in an MLB forfeit

The Olympic 800m final where David Rudisha broke 1:41