On August 26, 1939, the first televised Major League baseball game
was broadcast on station W2XBS, the station that was to become
WNBC-TV. Announcer Red Barber called the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in
Brooklyn, New York.

At the time, television was still in its infancy. Regular programming
did not yet exist, and very few people owned television sets—there
were only about 400 in the New York area.

Not until 1946 did regular network broadcasting catch on in the
United States, and only in the mid-1950s did television sets
become more common in the American household.

In 1939, the World’s Fair—which was being held in New York—
became the catalyst for the historic broadcast.

Restored 1939 GE HM-171 TV.

On August 22, 1989, Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers became
the first pitcher in major league history to registered 5,000 career strikeouts. Ryan would go on to rack up a total of 5,714 strikeouts,
over 1,500 more than his closest competition.

Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. ("the Ryan Express") is78 years old.

 
CAMILLE BOHANNON

Madonna in 1976.

Madonna, singer and actress known for her boundary-
pushing, ever-changing persona. Hits include "Like a
Virgin" and "Like a Prayer", is 67 years young today.

Former New York Yankees star Mickey Mantle died of liver
cancer at the age of 63. While he patrolled center field and
batted clean-up between 1951 and 1968, the Yankees won
12 American League pennants and seven World Series
championships.

In 2025, Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders is the head football coach
at the University of Colorado, entering his third season with the Buffaloes. He recently recovered from a scare with bladder cancer,
with his doctor declaring him cured after surgery.

Sanders is focused on the upcoming season, where Colorado
aims to compete for the Big 12 title and a College Football
Playoff berth. He is also managing his son Shedeur Sanders’
transition to the NFL, where Shedeur is starting for the
Cleveland Browns.