This Day in Sports History: July 4
Sporting events on the calendar in July include MLB — notably the All-Star Game — the NBA Summer League, the British Grand Prix, the Tour de France, NASCAR Cup Series…
Sporting events on the calendar in July include MLB — notably the All-Star Game — the NBA Summer League, the British Grand Prix, the Tour de France, NASCAR Cup Series races, golf tournaments, and track and field meets. July 4 has heralded many momentous occasions in sport, and we'll explore some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Significant moments in sport that occurred on July 4 include:
- 1890: Lena Rice became the first Irish woman to win the singles title at the Wimbledon Championships.
- 1891: Wilfred Baddeley won the first of his three men's singles Wimbledon titles.
- 1905: Cy Young and Rube Waddell faced off in a 20-inning game.
- 1907: Tommy Burns defended his world heavyweight boxing title for the sixth time, scoring a first-round knockout win over Bill Squires.
- 1908: George Wiltse pitched a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies.
- 1910: Jack Johnson retained his world heavyweight boxing title in the "Fight of the Century" against James J. Jeffries, achieving a technical knockout in the 15th round.
- 1911: Ty Cobb went hitless against the Chicago White Sox, ending a 40-game hitting streak.
- 1923: Jack Dempsey retained his world heavyweight boxing title, beating Tommy Gibbons in the 15th round on points.
- 1930: Helen Moody won her fourth consecutive women's singles Wimbledon title.
- 1939: Lou Gehrig became the first MLB player to have his number retired on his appreciation day. He delivered his famous "luckiest man" speech the same day.
- 1947: Golfer Fred Daly won his only British Open championship.
- 1954: West Germany beat Hungary 3-2 in the final of the FIFA World Cup.
- 1960: Mickey Wright won the LPGA Championship.
- 1960: Mickey Mantle hit his 300th career home run, becoming the 18th MLB player to reach this milestone.
- 1965: Carol Mann won the U.S. Women's Open golf championship.
- 1969: Ann Jones defeated the three-time defending champion, Billie Jean King, to secure the women's singles title at Wimbledon.
- 1980: Nolan Ryan became the fourth pitcher in MLB history to achieve 3,000 strikeouts.
- 1982: Golfer Sandra Haynie won the Canadian Women's Open.
- 1983: Dave Righetti pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox.
- 1984: Phil Niekro became the ninth player to reach 3,000 MLB strikeouts.
- 1987: Martina Navratilova won her eighth Wimbledon women's singles title.
- 1994: Brazil narrowly beat the USA 1-0 in a FIFA World Cup match.
- 2000: Jockey Russell Baze recorded his 7,000th career victory.
- 2004: Roger Federer won the second of his five consecutive men's singles Wimbledon titles.
- 2009: Serena Williams beat her sister Venus to secure her third women's singles Wimbledon title.
- 2015: Chile defeated Argentina 4-1 on penalties, earning their first Copa América title.
The outstanding athletes among these July 4 events are Jack Johnson, Lou Gehrig, and Martina Navratilova.
Johnson is renowned as the first African American heavyweight boxing champion of the world, a title he held from 1908 to 1915. Gehrig is recognized for his exceptional baseball career with the New York Yankees, his 2,130 game streak, and his courageous battle with ALS. Navratilova is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, celebrated for her exceptional athletic ability and 59 Grand Slam titles.
