May is an exciting month for sports fans, featuring NBA and NHL playoffs, MLB games in full swing, the Preakness Stakes, the PGA Championship, the FA Cup Final, the French Open in tennis, and various Grand Prix events. Over the years, May 21 has seen many memorable moments in sports history.
In 1819, the first bicycle appeared in New York City. The United States National Lawn Tennis Association was established in 1881. In 1891, Peter Jackson and Jim Corbett fought to a 61-round draw in San Francisco. FIFA was founded in Paris in 1904.
Notable achievements include Earl Sheely hitting a record sixth consecutive double in 1926 and Babe Ruth hitting three home runs in 1930, even though the Yankees lost to the Philadelphia A’s. In 1943, the fastest nine-inning American League night game lasted just 89 minutes. Joe DiMaggio hit for the cycle in 1948, while the Brooklyn Dodgers scored 15 runs in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds in 1952.
Muhammad Ali won the heavyweight title with a technical knockout of Henry Cooper in 1966. Billy Williams set an outfielder record with 695 straight MLB games in 1968. Chelsea won the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1971, and Jean Cruguet rode Seattle Slew to victory in the Preakness Stakes in 1977.
In 1986, Ralph Sampson hit a buzzer-beater to defeat the Lakers. Nancy Lopez won her third LPGA championship in 1989. Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 200th home run in 1996, and Roger Clemens secured his 200th win in 1997. Arsenal won the FA Cup in 2005, and Manchester United triumphed in the Champions League in 2008. In 2016, Kent Desormeaux won the Preakness Stakes, and Brooks Koepka claimed his third PGA Championship in 2023.
