On April 22, 1876, the Boston Red Caps beat the Philadelphia
Athletics, 6-5, in the first official National League baseball game. 

The game, which lasted a little more than two hours, was played
in "favorable" weather before 3,000 fans.

Winner John J. McDermott ran the course in two hours, 55 minutes and 10 seconds. .

On April 19, 1897, John J. McDermott of New York won the first
Boston Marathon with a time of 2:55:10.

The Boston Marathon was the brainchild of Boston Athletic
Association member and inaugural U.S. Olympic team manager
John Graham, who was inspired by the marathon at the first
modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. With the assistance
of Boston businessman Herbert H. Holton, various routes were considered, before a measured distance of 24.5 miles from the
Irvington Oval in Boston to Metcalf’s Mill in Ashland was
eventually selected.

Fifteen runners started the race but only 10 made it to the finish
line.

John J. ("J.J.", "little Mac") McDermott
(1880 – 1948)

On April 16th, 1964, The Rolling Stones released their debut
album. As they looked to enter the race against The Beatles,
they appeared on the record sleeve in mop-top hairstyles
and smart suits as directed by Oldham. But what the group
lacked on The Beatles was original material. The Rolling
Stones consisted of 12 songs in total, and only three were
original compositions by the band. 

On April 10, 1953, the horror film The House of Wax, starring
Vincent Price, opened at New York’s Paramount Theater
(below)..

Released by Warner Brothers, it was the first movie from a
major motion-picture studio to be shot using the three-
dimensional, or stereoscopic, film process and one of the
first horror films to be shot in color.

Directed by Andre De Toth, The House of Wax was a remake
of 1933’s Mystery in the Wax Museum.

Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993)

From Top Left: Alan B. Shepard, Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, L.
Gordon Cooper
Bottom Left: Wally Schirra, Donald K. "Deke" Slayton, John
Glenn and Scott Carpenter.

The seven men, all military test pilots, were carefully selected from
a group of 32 candidates to take part in Project Mercury, America’s
first manned space program. NASA planned to begin manned orbital flights in 1961.