Today In Sports History 4/13

Our past has shaped the present by many things in history including sports, here is how sports marked our history today.

Baseball

• In 1954 Milwaukee Braves’ Hank Aaron plays in his first game

Boxing

• In 2014 Manny Pacquiao defeats Timothy Bradley to regain his WBO welterweight boxing title

Golf

• In 1942 at the 9th US Masters Tournament, Byron Nelson wins an 18-hole playoff by 1 stroke over runner-up Ben Hogan

Miscellaneous

• In 1940 Cornelious Warmerdam became first man to pole vault 15 ft

NBA

• In 1949 in the Basketball Association of America Finals, Minneapolis Lakers beat Washington Capitols, 77-56 to take series, 4 games to 2;. The BAA and National Basketball League merge later that year to create the NBA

NHL

• In 1940 in the Stanley Cup Final, New York Rangers beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-2 for 4-2 series victory. It is the Rangers last Cup win for 54 years

Olympics

• In 1980 the US and its allies boycott the Summer Olympics in Moscow in protest against Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan