This Day in Sports Book

Sports events represent, for many, landmarks for memories, contexts that securely fix moments in past time. And in America, perhaps more than in any other country, they are part of what connects the individual to the multitude. When we add them to our remembrances, they subtly suggest that, like sporting contests, our personal tales are fit for public consumption. How easy and natural it is to add a little referential sidebar to the stories we tell: "I started work in January, I remember because the Bills had just lost the Super Bowl—the fourth one."

On a broader scale, sports have left their imprint on the stony history of the nation. Beginning slowly with a game of bowls (1611), something like miniature golf in New England (1652), horse racing on Long Island, and billiards in Charlestown (1722), the sporting life then gained momentum—and a firmer grip on the national conscience—with the early play of baseball, basketball, and football, games that would come to dominate the sports scene in 20th century America.

Organized by day of the year, this volume provides the browser, the trivia buff and the sports historian a record of thousands of frames, matches, series, and championships. Whether it's the day a bases-loaded walk gave the National League its 16th All-Star victory in 17 seasons (July 17, 1979) or the day Harvard defeated Yale and Brown in the first-ever intercollegiate regatta (July 26, 1859), there's something new buried within the tome's 365 layers for even the most knowledgeable fans.

Author Biography: Ernie Gross of Accomac, Virginia, is retired from a career in newspaper journalism and government public relations. He is also the author of This Day in American History (2000, $55).