Peanuts and Cracker Jacks THE BEST OPENING DAYS IN BASEBALL HISTORY
Lou, Combs, and Babe — Oh My!
Baseball’s opening day has been an American holiday of sorts since the Cincinnati Red Stockings threw out the first major league pitch in 1869. To celebrate the start of the 150th season of professional baseball, here are three of the best opening days in baseball history.
Considered one of the best teams in baseball history, the 1927 New York Yankees started their historic run and 25th season by dismantling the Philadelphia Athletics with a score of 8–3. The slugfest was true to form for the 1927 Yankees, whose players would go on to make up baseball’s famous “Murderers’ Row.” With sluggers like Lou Gehrig, Earle Combs, Babe Ruth, Mark Koenig, Bob Meusel, and Tony Lazzeri, it’s no wonder this team went on to win its fifth championship that year. For decades, no one could match George Herman Ruth. The Great Bambino’s all-time home run record seemed like an impossible feat of strength — that is, until Henry “Hammerin’ Hank” Aaron came along. On opening day, April 4, 1974, Aaron smashed his 714th homer, tying Babe Ruth for the most home runs ever hit and extending the Atlanta Braves’ shutout lead over the Cincinnati Reds. A few weeks later, Aaron surpassed Ruth’s record, prompting a standing ovation from the crowd. The Hammer Ties Bambino
A New Beginning
On April 15, 1947, an opening-day game changed the course of Major League Baseball. On this day, Jackie Robinson started for the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the first African-American player to start for a major league baseball team. Robinson’s historic showing was lackluster, going 0-for-3 at the plate and making a solid showing on the infield at first base, but his mere presence in a Dodgers uniform had already broken history. Despite his nationally-recognized skills — Robinson was named MVP of the MLB farm team league in 1946 — the backlash that followed his rise to the pros, both from fans and teammates, was palpable. Still, as well-known sportscaster Howard Cosell said, “Suddenly, it was a new beginning.” Explore the sites that inspired “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Feel the palpable rush gold-searching forty-niners felt as they traveled west. Prepare for the awe of seeing a free state just across the Mississippi River while standing in a former slave state. SEE THE SHOW-ME STATE
Celebrate 200 Years of Hannibal in 2019
of the country at the time, the town was founded by immigrants who quickly established many trades within the town’s limits.
In 1839, 4-year-old Samuel Clemens moved with his family to Hannibal, paving the way for one of the world’s greatest novels.
You can do all this (and more) without ever leaving Missouri this spring! Celebrate with Hannibal, Missouri, as it honors its 200th birthday in 2019. In addition to its regular yearly events, the town will be hosting special 200th- anniversary events throughout
Better known as Mark Twain, Clemens would go on to pen “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” with details and descriptions pulled straight from the streets, people, and businesses that were part of Hannibal prior to the Civil War. Clemens lived in Hannibal until 1853.
Because of Hannibal’s positioning near Illinois, the town also serves as a poignant reminder of the Civil War, slavery,
and segregation. Hannibal’s battles with slavery, while
the year. In April, attendees can peruse the A Journey Through Time quilt show and contest and learn more at the Senior Expo: Our Story, Our Town. And don’t forget to come back in May when the log cabin construction begins! Celebrating a town’s 200-year anniversary is no small feat, but what makes Hannibal so unique? Read below to find out! Historic Hannibal
neighboring Illinois remained free, provided a painful and important history that the town’s historians at the Huck Finn Freedom Center work to preserve for educational purposes. Don’t miss an opportunity to celebrate one of the Show-Me State’s most historic towns. Learn more about Hannibal’s 200th celebration online at Hannibal2019.com .
Two years before Missouri became a state in 1821, settlers founded Hannibal in the northeastern part of present-day Missouri. Like most
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