From the founding of the modern Olympic movement to a decathlon world record at the U.S. Olympic Trials, June 23 spans more than a century of significant moments across baseball, track and field, basketball and the international sports landscape.

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Featured Events

1894: The International Olympic Committee Is Founded

On June 23, 1894, Pierre de Coubertin and delegates from 12 nations formally established the International Olympic Committee at the Sorbonne in Paris. Demetrios Vikelas of Greece was elected as its first president. The decision revived the ancient Olympic tradition and led directly to the first modern Summer Games in Athens just two years later. The IOC remains one of the most powerful international sports organizations in the world, and June 23 is still celebrated annually as Olympic Day.

1917: Ernie Shore’s Near-Perfect Relief Appearance

Babe Ruth started on the mound for the Boston Red Sox against the Washington Senators, walked the first batter and was promptly ejected for punching home plate umpire Brick Owens. Ernie Shore entered in relief with only five warmup pitches. The baserunner was thrown out stealing, and Shore retired all 26 batters he faced in a 4-0 victory. The game was classified as a perfect game for decades before being reclassified as a combined no-hitter in 1991. It remains one of the most unusual pitching feats in MLB history.

2012: Ashton Eaton Breaks the Decathlon World Record

At the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, Ashton Eaton scored 9,039 points to shatter Roman Sebrle’s world record of 9,026. Eaton became only the second decathlete in history to break the 9,000-point barrier. He placed first in seven of ten events, and his 8.23-meter long jump would have tied for second in the standalone long jump final. The performance cemented his status as the world’s greatest all-around athlete heading into the London Olympics, where he won gold.

1972: Title IX Signed Into Law

President Richard Nixon signed Title IX into law, prohibiting sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs. While not exclusively a sports law, its impact on athletics was transformative. Title IX opened the door for millions of women to compete in organized sports at the high school and collegiate levels. Women’s college athletics grew from roughly 30,000 participants in 1972 to more than 200,000 within two decades. The legislation reshaped the American sports landscape permanently.

2016: Ben Simmons Goes No. 1 in the NBA Draft

The Philadelphia 76ers selected Ben Simmons with the first overall pick at the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The class also produced Jaylen Brown (No. 3 to Boston), Jamal Murray (No. 7 to Denver), Pascal Siakam (No. 27 to Toronto) and Malcolm Brogdon, who became the only second-round pick to win Rookie of the Year. Fred VanVleet went undrafted entirely before becoming an All-Star in 2022.

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Additional Notable Events

1940: Wilma Rudolph is born in Tennessee. She overcame childhood polio to become the first American woman to win three track and field gold medals at a single Olympics in 1960.

2014: The Netherlands defeated Chile 2-0 to finish the FIFA World Cup group stage with a perfect record of three wins, while Brazil beat Cameroon 4-1 with two Neymar goals to win Group A.

2019: Argentina defeated Qatar 2-0 at the Copa America in Porto Alegre, with Lautaro Martinez opening the scoring inside four minutes.

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