Baseball Player Ping Bodie Once Won An Eating Contest Against An Ostrich
Today in 1919, one of the strangest moments in the history of professional baseball, when major leaguer Ping Bodie took on an ostrich in an eating contest and won.
How Ski Ballet Ended Up At The Olympics In The 80s And 90s
Today in 1988 the Winter Olympics began in Calgary, Alberta. There were plenty of eyes that year on the demonstration sport known as ski ballet.
ELIZA Was An AI Chatbot Decades Before ChatGPT
For all the talk these days about the potential of generative AI, the systems still have a long way to go. For example, some recent research finds that some human users think ChatGPT comes off as less realistic than a famous chatbot from the 60s known as ELIZA.
Dogpiles Are How Baseball Teams Celebrate Big Wins And Sometimes Hurt Themselves
Today in 1982, the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals made baseball history with the first major league team-wide dogpile, in which players who are celebrating a big moment can sometimes inadvertently hurt each other.
A Shower Of Souvenir Baseballs Led To A Major League Forfeit
Today in 1995 one of the most unusual endings to a big league baseball game ever: an umpire called a forfeit after the fans showered the field with souvenir baseballs.
Kitty Burke Once Batted In A Major League Game
Today in 1935, singer Kitty Burke got up from the crowd at a major league game and took an at-bat. To date, she's the only woman to bat in the majors.
Dick Roth Won Olympic Gold While He Had Appendicitis
It's National Swimming Pool Day, so here’s a story of a guy who had to get into the pool: Dick Roth, who won an Olympic gold medal while trying to fend off appendicitis.
Babe Ruth Once Pitched A Combined No-Hitter, At Least Technically
Today in 1917, another milestone in the one-of-a-kind baseball career of Babe Ruth: he pitched part of a combined no-hitter, even if he didn’t exactly do the lion’s share of the work.
Clarence Blethen, The Pitcher Who Got Bit By His Own False Teeth
Today in 1933, truly a moment for the record books: a pitcher in a minor league baseball game got injured after being bitten by his own false teeth.
Cliff Young Won An Ultramarathon By Running Like An “Old Turtle”
Forty years ago today, the first ever Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon began. Five days later, the first guy to cross the finish line was a 61 year old farmer with arthritis in both legs. Here's how self-described "old turtle" Cliff Young pulled off such an unexpected win.