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Gertrude Ederie Swims the English Channel
Gertrude Ederie was not only the first woman to swim the English Channel, but she was also the fastest person to every swim the English Channel. She beat the men that came before her by two whole hours. This was an import show that women can do just was well as men in sports, and would act as a model for years after.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/gertrude-ederle-becomes-first-woman-to-swim-english-channel -
Jackie Robinson Debuts
The first black man to play in the major leagues, Jackie Robinson, goes up to bat against Johnny Sain and scores a run. This was the first step to making baseball equal, and and even larger step to making society equal. -
Instant Replays Added
Instant replays may seem like they've always been a thing, but that's far from true. The sports broadcast world was revolutionized and watchers got more of an inside glimpse into the game.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_replay -
Snowboards are Invinted
Sherman Poppen is the first person accredited with purring two skis together to make a snowboard. It was originally christened, "The Snurfer." This created an entirely new sport of its own. www.sbhistory.de/hist_in_the_beg.htm -
Gatorade is Introduced
This electrolyte infused drink is used constantly in all sorts of athletics. In some ways it has even become a tradition among players, and is directly linked with sporting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatorade -
Title IX Enacted
Title IX is put into action, making sure that girls have equal opportunity to participate in sports in school. This not only changed what sport events schools hold, but also changed the schools themselves.
http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/inclusion/title-ix-frequently-asked-questions -
MRI Changes Medicine
With the invention of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, the world of sports medicine changed forever. Invented by Larry Minkoff and Michael Goldsmith, it made it so that we can view injuries in a whole new way.
http://www.icr.org/article/raymond-damadian-inventor-mri/ -
First Sideline Reporter
Sideline reporters are an important way of staying in touch with a game if you can't be there yourself, and in this UCLA Bruins vs. Tennessee Volunteers game, we can see the very first one. After this sideline reporters can be seen in any and every sports broadcast.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sideline_reporter -
First 3 Point Shot in Basketball
The first 3 point shot is made in NBA using the newly added 3 point line. The impact of this addition was obviously game changing, and created many new strategies used today.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-point_field_goal -
Usain Bolt Breaks World Record
Usain Bolt won gold and broke the world record with a time of 9.69 seconds. This raised the bar for Olympic runners, and brought running directly into the public eye for a short while.
http://www.watchathletics.com/article/9181/today-in-history-usain-bolt-breaks-100m-world-record-twice/
