Thorpe Wins Olympic Gold

Our Newspapers.com Football History Headline of the Day comes from the Hallett Herald in Hallett, Oklahoma, on July 8, 1912, when they printed a header of :

AMERICANS ARE IN LEAD

This news story is about the 1912 Stockholm Olympics and, in particular, a pentathlon gold medal win by a Carlisle student named James Thorpe on July 7, 1912. Yes, this is before the great gridiron player became famous, and James was, in fact, Jim Thorpe, who won the Gold as he finished first in four of the events of the Pentathlon. The Americans were leading in the medal count after just four days, following Thorpe's Gold, and one by fellow American 100-meter champion R. C. Craig of the Detroit YMCA, who took first place in his event in the early days of the Olympiad.

In 1913, Jim Thorpe was stripped of the medals due to playing baseball professionally in 1910, but in 1982, the Olympic honor was restored to the star athlete who played many years as a college and pro football player.

July 7, 1936 - The RCA Company broadcasts the first real TV program, which entertains viewers with a comedy monologue, dancing, a fashion show, and a short documentary on trains.

Where would we be without football on TV?

It has nothing to do with the game of football, but now we have a reference point when someone says it is the best thing since sliced bread!