Feb. 27, 1901 — The National League of Major League Baseball created the foul ball rule. This rule declares that any foul ball that is not on the fly is a strike unless there are already two strikes on the batter. This rule was instated so that the league could save money on the number of foul balls hit into the stands and to penalize hitters for fouling off good pitches. Two years later the American League implemented this same rule.

Feb. 27, 1908 — Major League Baseball initiated another rule that has become a common foundation in the modern game: the sacrifice fly rule. This rule states that if a runner scores on a pop fly, then no at-bat is registered into the statistics books. However, this rule encountered some turmoil and it was disposed of in 1931. In 1954, after under going several changes, the rule was permanently reinserted into the league’s official rulebook.

Feb. 28, 1960 — The U.S. Men’s Olympic hockey team defeated the Czechoslovakian team in the finals, securing the gold medal. The U.S. had previously beaten the Czechs 7-5 in their first game. The U.S. team was an imposing force during the 1960 Olympics as it finished with a 6-0 record, the result of big wins against perennial powerhouse teams such as Canada and the Soviet Union. In the finals, the U.S. team found itself in an unfavorable position as it trailed 4-3 after two periods. However, in a surprise visit, the Soviet Union captain advised the U.S. to start using an oxygen tank on the bench in order to aid the players. The oxygen seemed to do the trick as the U.S. scored six unanswered goals to capture their first Olympic ice hockey gold medal by a final score of 9-4.

March 1, 1969 — Major League Baseball bid farewell to one of the game’s greatest players, Mickey Mantle. Mantle was one of the best hitters in the history. He was a triple crown winner with multiple MVP awards. Mantle retired from the New York Yankees at the age of 37, and is currently 13th all-time in career home runs.

March 2, 1962 — The world witnessed perhaps the most extraordinary individual performance of any one athlete in the history of sports. Wilt Chamberlain, the towering 7'1" center of the Philadelphia Warriors, scored an unprecedented 100 points in a single game. This number eclipsed the previous record of 78, which had been set by him. Chamberlain connected on 36 of 63 shots from the floor. The crowd mobbed him after he accomplished this Herculean feat. To this day, his record remains unmatched.