On This Date

Aug. 1

1936 — Adolf Hitler presides over the opening ceremony of the Berlin Olympics.

1945 — New York’s Mel Ott hits his 500th home run in a 9-2 victory over the Boston Braves at the Polo Grounds. Only Babe Ruth with 714 and Jimmie Foxx with 527 have more.

1972 — Nate Colbert of the San Diego Padres drives in 13 runs in a doubleheader sweep of the Atlanta Braves 9-0 and 11-7.

1987 — Mike Tyson unifies the heavyweight division with a 12-round unanimous decision over IBF champion Tony Tucker in Las Vegas.

1990 — Arkansas jumps to the Southeastern Conference, severing its 76-year tie to the troubled Southwest Conference.

1992 — Eric Griffin, a two-time world champion at 106 pounds, loses to Rafael Lozano of Spain under the new electronic scoring system at the Barcelona Olympics. He is beaten despite all five judges crediting him with more blows than his opponent as did five jury members used as a backup in case the computer failed.

1996 — Michael Johnson wins Olympic gold in the 200 meters in a record 19.32 seconds, becoming the first male Olympian to win the 200 and 400 in a single games. Dan O’Brien wins gold in the decathlon, four years after failing to make the U.S. Olympic team.

2004 — Karen Stupples wins her first major title with a record-tying 19-under 269 at the Women’s British Open. Stupples ties the low score in a major, set by Dottie Pepper at the 1999 Nabisco Dinah Shore.

2009 — Rachel Alexandra speeds around the far turn and rolls past the boys once again to win the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park and establishes herself as one of the greatest fillies in thoroughbred racing. The bay filly, ridden by Calvin Borel, beats Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird by six lengths.

2010 — Stuart Appleby hits golf’s magic number, shooting a 59 to win the Greenbrier Classic. Appleby’s 11-under round puts him at 22 while third-round leader Jeff Overton finishes second by one stroke after his birdie try slid by the hole on the par-3 18th. Appleby is the fifth PGA Tour player to reach the milestone.

2010 — Yani Tseng of Taiwan makes a 6-foot putt on the 18th hole to win the Women’s British Open by one stroke over Katherine Hull of Australia. It’s the 21-year-old Tseng’s third major title and second of the year to go along with the Kraft Nabisco.