Archery

• 1781 - the Toxophilite Society is founded in Leicester Square, London. It later becomes the Royal Toxophilite Society in 1787 and then the Grand National Archery Society.

Baseball

• Legendary, though not generally believed, date of the codification of the first rules of baseball by Abner Doubleday (1839)

• According to Documentary filmaker Ken Burns in his documentary and accompanying book, "Baseball", the first set of Baseball rules were codified by Alexander Joy Cartwright and his New York Knickerbockers.

Boat race

• Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race (first held 1829)
  • Cambridge win 1836, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1845, 1846, 1849 (April)
  • Oxford win 1829, 1842, 1849 (Dec)
• 1839 - First Henley Royal Regatta rowing race is held

Boxing

• 1719 - James Figg is declared the first champion of England.
• 1743 - Jack Broughton drafts the London Prize Ring rules
• 1790 - Spectators are charged for entry to a boxing match between Daniel Mendoza and Richard Humphries in the earliest recorded charged-entry sporting event
• Daniel Mendoza, considered the Father of scientific boxing, is Champion of England from 1792 to 1795
• 8 October 1805 - Tom Cribb narrowly defeats ex-slave Bill Richmond
• 1809 Tom Cribb becomes the British Champion
• December 1810 - English champion Tom Cribb defeats the American boxer Tom Molineaux for the title of champion of England. Cribb wins in the 39th round.
• 28 September, 1811 - Cribb defeats Molineaux in the 11th round of the highly anticipated rematch.

Cricket

• 1183 - First written account of a game resembling cricket, by Joseph of Exeter
• 1598 - First known written use of the word creckett in English to describe the sport
• 1709 - First match played between English counties.
• 1744 - First codification of the Laws of Cricket.
• 1750 - Believed to be the founding date of Hambledon Cricket Club the ‘cradle of cricket’.
• 1787 - Marylebone Cricket Club founded in London
• 1788 - Marylebone Cricket Club publishes first official Laws of Cricket
• 1789 - John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset organises an international tour of English cricketers to France, but it is abandoned due to the French Revolution
• 1815 - Traditional starting date for First-class cricket in England
• 1828 - The MCC modified Rule 10 to permit the bowler’s hand to be raised as high as the elbow
• 1835 - Shoulder-height bowling is legalised
• 1845 - Laws restricting hand height during bowling are removed
• 1844 - First international cricket match played, between United States and Canada

Croquet

• 1830s - Croquet is believed to have been invented in Ireland

Football

• 2nd century BC - tsu chu" (蹴鞠 or 蹴踘) begins to be played in China.
• 600 - Kemari begins to be played in Kyoto.
• 1314 - Edward II of England bans football in London
• 1349 - Edward III of England bans football, favouring archery
• 1424 - James I of Scotland bans 'fute-ball'.
• 16th Century - Calcio Fiorentino begins in Florence
• 1526 - Henry VIII of England orders the first known purpose made football boots
• The Cambridge Rules, the first standardized rules for the game in England, are drawn up (1848)
• 1602 - Richard Carew describes the game of "hurling to goals" played in Eastern Cornwall, in his "Survey of Cornwall". The game has the earliest described rules requiring equal numbers, no playing of the ball on the ground, and banning the forward pass, with similarities to the modern game of Rugby football. ^*
• 1823 - William Webb Ellis is said to have invented rugby

Golf

• 1603 - James VI of Scotland appoints Edinburgh bowmaker William Mayne as royal club-maker for his lifetime.
• 1754 - First codified Rules of Golf published by the St Andrews Golfers - later the Royal and Ancient Golf Club

Horse racing

• 1711 - Queen Anne organises horse racing at the village of East Cote, now known as Ascot, near Windsor Castle.
• The Society of Sportsmen of the Curragh, a precursor of the Irish Turf Club is formed.
• 1776 - First St. Leger Stakes won by Allabaculia
• 1779 - First Epsom Oaks won by Bridget
• 1780 - First Epsom Derby won by Diomed
• 1809 - First Two Thousand Guineas Stakes won by Wizard
• 1814 - First One Thousand Guineas Stakes won by Charlotte
• 1836 - Believed to be the first running of the Aintree Grand National, won by The Duke, who also wins the race renewal in 1837
• 1839 - The first official Grand National is won by Lottery, ridden by Jem Mason

Lacrosse

• Pre-1600s - Native Americans play lacrosse to settle land disputes or in training for war
• 1636 - Jean de Brébeuf, a french missionary, watches a Huron game of lacrosse in what is now Ontario, and he notices that the sticks look like a bishop's crosier or "la crosse" in french.

Olympic Games

• 776 BC - First recorded Olympic games held, consisting of one race, the Stadion.
• 6th century BC - Milo of Croton wins victory in six Olympic Games
• 393 - Theodosius I outlaws the Olympic Games.

Polo

• ~ 600 BC - First recorded Polo match between Turkomans and Persians, won by the Turkomans.

Rowing

• 1716 - The first race for the right to wear Doggett's Coat and Badge is held among the professional watermen in London. The course runs four miles and five furlongs (7443 m) from London Bridge to Chelsea, and is established as an annual event continuing into the 21st century.
• 1818 - Leander Club is founded by the merger of The Star and Arrow boat clubs in London
• 1828 - Anthony Brown, a Tyneside boat builder, develops the first crude riggers on rowing boats for racing.
• 1831 - C. Campbell and J. Williams compete for the first English professional sculling championship in London
• 1839 - The first Henley Regatta is held
• 1848 - Henry Clasper builds the first keelless racing boats and spoon shaped oars, and develops the outrigger.

Events

• Robert Dover's Olimpick Games are held in the Cotswolds in England, starting some time between 1604 and 1612.
• 1625 - Puritans in England pass a law prohibiting the playing of 'unlawful sports'.

Births

Pre-16th century

• 7th Century BC - Chionis of Sparta, Greek athlete
• 5th Century BC - Astylos of Croton, Greek athlete

1500s-1600s

• 1575 - Robert Dover, English sports patron
• 1670 - Thomas Doggett, Irish sports patron (Doggett's Coat and Badge)
• 1680 - William Bedle, English cricketer
• 1695 - James Figg, English bare-knuckle fighter

1700s

• 18 May 1701 - Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, English cricketer
• 1703 - Jack Broughton, English bare-knuckle fighter, produced first rules for boxing
• 2 March 1718 - Richard Newland, English cricketer
• 1735 - Edward "Lumpy" Stevens, English cricketer
• 1737 - John Small, English cricketer
• 1747 - Thomas Brett, English cricketer
• 1753 - Sam Chifney, English jockey
• 16 November 1762 - Thomas Walker, English cricketer
• 1763 - Bill Richmond, American boxer and trainer
• 1764 - Dennis Fitzpatrick, English jockey
• 5 July 1764 - Daniel Mendoza, English-Jewish prizefighter and Champion of England
• 1766 - Francis Buckle, English jockey
• 1769 - John Jackson, English boxer and trainer
• 1781 - Tom Cribb, English bare-knuckle boxer
• 25 November 1794 - Jack Randall, English boxer
• 22 February 1795 - Tom Spring, English heavyweight boxer
• 24 December 1798 - William Clarke, English cricketer

1800s-1810s

• 26 December 1800 - Jem Ward, English bare-knuckle boxer
• 1809 - James Burke, English bare-knuckle boxer
• 22 August 1806 - Charles Wordsworth, cricketer, athlete, rower, founder of Oxford-Cambridge Boat race
• November 24 1806 - William Webb Ellis, "inventor" of Rugby football
• 8 March 1808 - Charles Merivale, founder of Oxford-Cambridge Boat race
• 18 October 1811 - Bendigo Thompson, English heavyweight champion boxer
• 5 July 1812 - Harry Clasper, British professional rower and boat-builder.
• 22 March 1815 - Ben Caunt, English boxer

1820s-1830s

• April 17 1820 - Alexander Cartwright, American baseball pioneer
• October 5 1824 - Henry Chadwick, American baseball promoter and developer, sportswriter
• 25 May 1826 - Thomas Sayers, English boxer
• February 12 1831 - John Morrissey, Irish-American boxer, politician and racecourse owner
• April 8 1831 - Jem Mace, English heavyweight champion boxer
• October 23 1832 - William Hulbert, American baseball executive
• May 2 1833 - John C Heenan, American bare-knuckle boxer
• 21 May 1833 - John Jackson, English cricketer
• January 10 1835 - Harry Wright, American baseball player, manager and organizer
• August 14 1835 - Tom King, English boxer
• August 19 1835 - Thomas Wentworth Wills, Australian cricketer and Australian rules football inventor
• February 29 1836 - Dickey Pearce, American baseball player
• December 26 1837 - Morgan G. Bulkeley, American baseball executive
• January 23 1838 - Ben Shibe, American baseball executive

1840s

• May 25 1840 - Al Reach, American baseball player and executive, publisher and sporting goods manufacturer
• October 14 1842 - Joe Start, American baseball player
• 1843 - John Graham Chambers, British rower and sports codifier in boxing and athletics
• July 18 1844 - George Zettlein, American baseball player
• 20 July 1844 - John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry, sports patron (boxing, athletics, horse racing)
• January 31 1845 - Bob Ferguson, American baseball player, manager, executive and umpire
• May 25 1845 - Lip Pike, American baseball player
• July 9 1845 - Lord Minto, donor of the Minto Cup
• January 28 1847 - George Wright, American baseball player and pioneer
• October 20, 1847 - Oscar Swahn, Swedish shooter (d. 1927)
• December 7 1847 - Deacon White, American baseball player
• July 18 1848 - W. G. Grace, English cricketer
• October 18 1848 - Candy Cummings, American baseball player

See also

• Sports timeline

Sports by year | Sports by century

Années 1800 en sport