Montana voters elected thirty-six year-old Republican Jeannette Rankin as the first woman in the United States to serve in Congress. A strong proponent of peace, Rankin voted against the declaration of war on Germany in 1917 and in 1941, she cast the only vote in the House against entering WWII. A member of various antiwar organizations over the years, she led the "Jeannette Rankin Brigade", a peace group, to Washington to protest the Vietnam War in 1968.
Congress officially established The National Park Service as a bureau in the Department of the Interior. The system included not only the most extraordinary and spectacular scenic exhibits in the United States, but also a large number of sites distinguished either for their historic or prehistoric importance or scientific interest, or for their superior recreational assets. Today, the National Park System is made up of over three-hundred seventy-five areas covering more than eighty-three million acres in every state except Delaware.
On April 11 th , the World Champion Boston Red Sox suffered an embarrassing 1-0 loss during an exhibition game against the young men from Boston College.
Cleveland Indians catcher Steve O'Neill completed an amazing thirty-six double plays for a Major League season record for catchers that still stands to date.
On May 9 th , the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers combined to set a Major League record with thirty walks during a 16-2, "Motor City" win. Eighteen were issued by the A's, (who went on to finish the season with 715). Detroit added eleven more the following day for a two-game Major League record of twenty-nine.
The National League, which was celebrating its fortieth anniversary, voted down a proposal by the New York Giants, Boston Braves, and Chicago Cubs to increase their player limit from twenty-one to twenty-two.
On June 22 nd , the Boston Braves pulled off the only National League extra-inning triple steal to beat the New York Giants 3-1 in the eleventh. In 1941, the American League would match the feat with their only recorded triple swipe.
Chicago Cubs catcher Bill Fischer set a Major League record by catching all twenty-seven innings in a doubleheader loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 28 th .
In January, the National Association released a list of one-hundred twenty-three Federal League players with free-agent status under the terms of the new leagues "peace agreement". The following month, the Federal League's year-old suit charging antitrust violations by organized baseball was dismissed by mutual consent in the U.S. District Court by Judge Kenesaw M. Landis.
Chicago Cubs owner Charles Weeghman became the first to officially allow fans to keep any and all balls hit into the stands. His decision followed an incident in which a fan fought with park attendants after catching a foul ball during the St. Louis Cardinals' series.
"I did not say my players did not try to win, but they refused to obey my orders and it was too much for me and I lost my patience. Such baseball disgusts me and I left the bench." - New York Giants manager John McGraw on October 3, 1916
Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard
Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard
1916 National LeagueTeam Standings |
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Team [Click for roster] | Wins | Losses | WP | GB |
Brooklyn Robins | 94 | 60 | .610 | 0 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 91 | 62 | .595 | 2½ |
Boston Braves | 89 | 63 | .586 | 4 |
New York Giants | 86 | 66 | .566 | 7 |
Chicago Cubs | 67 | 86 | .438 | 26½ |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 65 | 89 | .422 | 29 |
St. Louis Cardinals | 60 | 93 | .392 | 33½ |
Cincinnati Reds | 60 | 93 | .392 | 33½ |
Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard
Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard
On April 20, 1916, The Chicago Cubs played their first game in Weeghman Park and won versus the Cincinnati Reds 7-6. The ballpark would be more commonly referred to as Cubs Park and in 1926 it would officially change its name to Wrigley Field.
On May 18, 1912 , Ty Cobb served his suspension and replacement players were used for the protesting Tigers' players. The mysterious Billy Maharg , who for some reason changed his last name backwards (Graham) to play, became the only scab to appear in another Major League game when the Phillies put him in the outfield during the 1916 season.
Did you know that the St. Louis Cardinals were sold in July 1916 to James C. Jones et al by owner Helene Britton for $250,000?