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Nautical Challenge
August 22, 1851 - Members of the New York Yacht Club, sailing a schooner named America, defeated 15 yachts of the Royal Yacht Squadron in a race around the Isle of Wight in England. The trophy awarded to the team was renamed the America's Cup and was donated to the New York Yacht Club, specifying that it be held in trust as a perpetual challenge trophy to promote friendly competition. Under the terms of the trust, sailing teams from around the globe can challenge the holder of the cup to a race, with the cup going to the winner. Unlike other sporting competitions, challenges for the America's Cup are not annual or even regular events. In fact during the 162 years since that original race there have only been 34 challenges. The New York Yacht Club won the first 25 challenges and retained possession for 132 years. It was not until 1983, when the Royal Perth Yacht Club of Austrailia claimed victory, that the America's Cup would leave the United States. The cup came back four years later following a successful challenge by the San Diego Yacht Club. The cup is currently in the possession of the Golden Gate Yacht Club in San Francisco.
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Swing and a Miss
August 22, 1989 - Nolan Ryan, arguably the most prolific pitcher in Major League Baseball history, recorded his 5,000th strikeout when he sent a 96 mph fastball past a swinging Rickey Henderson of the Oakland Athletics. Ryan, who would eventually record 5,714 career strikeouts, is the only pitcher to ever achieve the 5,000 mark.
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Things That Go Boom
August 24, 79 - Mount Vesuvius, a volcano in the Gulf of Naples of modern day Italy, erupted, completely covering the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae in volcanic ash. Historians estimate over 16,000 people were killed in the eruption. The ruins of Pompeii laid forgotten and buried, under 20 feet of ash and pumice for over 1500 years before they were rediscovered. Because no air or moisture could get through to the ruins they stand today as one of the best preserved artifacts of Ancient Rome.
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"
If somebody had asked me how I'd have liked to get it, I would have said with a fastball swinging. That's my bread-and-butter pitch.
-- Nolan Ryan, after recording his 5,000th career strikeout
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Side Note  First awarded in 1851, the America's Cup is the oldest active trophy in international sport. The 34th challenge to the America's Cup will be held September 7 - 21 in San Francisco.
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Historical Archives
Read past editions of our This Week in History newsletter any time in our Archives.
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