Sport, 1912 to 1939

King Gustaf V opens the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm

6 July 1912 · Stockholm, Sweden · Europe

King Gustaf V opened the Stockholm Games on 6 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations took part, and Jim Thorpe won both the decathlon and the pentathlon.

Notes, dating details and full entry on the 1912 page

First Far Eastern Championship Games are held in Manila

1 to 9 February 1913 · Manila, Philippine Islands (now Philippines) · Asia

Some details uncertain.

The inaugural Far Eastern Championship Games ran in Manila and were declared open at the Carnival Grounds in Malate by Governor General William Cameron Forbes.

Why it is interesting. These were the opening edition of the Far Eastern Championship Games; the next one followed in 1915.

Notes, dating details and full entry on the 1913 page

First South American Football Championship is held

2 to 17 July 1916 · Argentina · South America

Argentina hosted a tournament for its independence centennial, with Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Brazil taking part. It was the first edition of what became the Copa América.

Why it is interesting. The Copa América is the oldest continental football competition still being played.

Notes, dating details and full entry on the 1916 page

National Hockey League is organized in Montreal

26 November 1917 · Montreal, Canada · North America

Representatives of four teams formed the National Hockey League at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal. It replaced the suspended National Hockey Association.

Why it is interesting. The league began with four teams, all in Canada, and its first games were played on 19 December 1917.

Notes, dating details and full entry on the 1917 page

The Antwerp Olympic Games open

14 August 1920 to 12 September 1920 · Antwerp, Belgium · Europe

Some details uncertain.

King Albert I opened the Games of the VII Olympiad in Antwerp on 14 August 1920. The city had been given the hosting rights after the war as a gesture toward Belgium.

Notes, dating details and full entry on the 1920 page

The first Women's World Games open in Paris

20 August 1922 · Paris, France · Europe

Some details uncertain.

The first Women's World Games, international track and field events for women, took place in Paris at the Stade Pershing from 20 August 1922. Alice Milliat and the FSFI organised them to make up for women's absence from the Olympic programme.

Why it is interesting. These games were set up because the Olympics left women's track and field out.

Notes, dating details and full entry on the 1922 page

International Winter Sports Week opens at Chamonix

25 January 1924 to 5 February 1924 · Chamonix, France · Europe

Events ran from 25 January to 5 February 1924 around Chamonix in France, staged by the French Olympic Committee as an International Winter Sports Week. Only later did the IOC recognise them, in retrospect, as the first Winter Olympic Games.

Why it is interesting. The first Winter Olympics were not called that at the time; the IOC gave them the title only in retrospect.

Notes, dating details and full entry on the 1924 page

India wins its first Olympic gold medal, in men's field hockey

1928 · Amsterdam, Netherlands · Europe

In Amsterdam, in its fourth appearance at the Summer Olympics, India entered Olympic men's field hockey for the first time and took the gold. The Indian Hockey Federation, set up in 1925, sent the team.

Why it is interesting. India's debut in Olympic hockey brought its first gold medal and started a winning streak lasting to 1956.

Notes, dating details and full entry on the 1928 page

The first FIFA World Cup is held in Uruguay

1930 · Uruguay · South America

The first World Cup took place in Uruguay in 1930, with teams from South America, Europe and North America. The opening matches were played simultaneously on 13 July, and Uruguay won the tournament.

Why it is interesting. FIFA chose Uruguay as host to mark the centenary of its independence, and the home side then won the first final at the Estadio Centenario.

Notes, dating details and full entry on the 1930 page

The first Major League Baseball All-Star Game is played

6 July 1933 · Chicago, United States · North America

Baseball's All-Star Game began on 6 July 1933 at Chicago's Comiskey Park, staged alongside that year's World's Fair. The idea came from Arch Ward, sports editor of the Chicago Tribune.

Why it is interesting. A newspaper editor's idea for a World's Fair attraction became a yearly baseball fixture.

Notes, dating details and full entry on the 1933 page

Italy beat Czechoslovakia in the World Cup final in Rome

10 June 1934 · Stadio Nazionale PNF, Rome, Kingdom of Italy (now Italy) · Europe

On 10 June 1934 the hosts won 2-1 after extra time, coming back from a goal down in very hot weather. Uruguay, the defending champion, had stayed away from the tournament.

Why it is interesting. Italy had to fight back from behind in the heat to win the second World Cup final, and Czechoslovakia's goalkeeper lived to the age of 92.

Notes, dating details and full entry on the 1934 page

Berlin Summer Olympics open

1 to 16 August 1936 · Berlin, Nazi Germany (now Germany) · Europe

The Games of the XI Olympiad ran in Berlin from 1 to 16 August 1936. The Nazi government used them for propaganda, and the American Jesse Owens won four gold medals.

Why it is interesting. The relay that carries a flame from Olympia to the host city began with Berlin and stayed on as an Olympic tradition.

Notes, dating details and full entry on the 1936 page

Don Budge wins the 1938 U.S. National Championships and the calendar-year Grand Slam

8 to 24 September 1938 · Forest Hills, New York City, New York, United States · North America

Some details uncertain.

At Forest Hills, the year's fourth Grand Slam tournament, Don Budge won the men's singles and became the first player to win a calendar-year Grand Slam. Poor weather from the 1938 New England hurricane stretched the event by a week.

Why it is interesting. Budge also took the doubles and mixed doubles titles.

Notes, dating details and full entry on the 1938 page