ON THIS DATE

1889: John L. Sullivan defeats Jake Kilrain in the 75th round for the U.S. heavyweight championship.

1912: Giants pitcher Rube Marquard loses his first decision in 20 games. (Can’t win ’em all.)

1939: Bobby Riggs beats Elwood Cooke in five sets to win Wimbledon. (But he can’t beat Billie Jean King.)

1941: Ted Williams hits a three-run, two-out homer in the ninth inning to give the American League a 7-5 victory in the All-Star Game at Detroit’s Briggs Stadium.

1952: Jack Lambert, Hall of Fame linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, comes into the world toothless and snarling.

1967: Billie Jean King sweeps three titles at Wimbledon; women’s singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.

1970: Giants third baseman Jim Ray Hart (RIP, 2016) hits for the cycle and becomes the first NL player in 59 years to drive in six runs in one inning as the Giants beat Atlanta, 13-0.

1984: John McEnroe routs Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 in 100-degree heat to win Wimbledon.

1994: Shortstop John Valentin made the 10th unassisted triple play in baseball history, then led off the bottom of the inning with a home run. (The nine other guys couldn’t have done that.)

1996: Martina Hingis becomes the youngest champion in Wimbledon history at 15 years, 282 days, teaming with Helena Sukova to win the women’s doubles title.

2000: Venus Williams wins her first Grand Slam title and becomes the first Black women’s champion at Wimbledon since Althea Gibson in 1957-58.

2000: Happy 20th wedding anniversary to Kristi Yamaguchi and Bret Hedican.

2007: Roger Federer beats Rafael Nadal for his fifth straight Wimbledon championship and 11th Grand Slam title, tying Bjorn Borg on both counts.

2010: Paul Goydos becomes the fourth golfer in PGA Tour history to shoot a 59, opening the John Deere Classic at 12 under. (He doesn’t win the tournament, though, finishing second to defending champ Steve Stricker, who opened with a 60.)

2012: Roger Federer wins Wimbledon for the seventh time, tying Pete Sampras’ record.

2014: Germany hands Brazil its heaviest World Cup loss with an astounding 7-1 rout in the semifinals that stuns the host nation.

2015: Kenny Stabler, aka “The Snake,” dies at 69.