3. April 12, 1909: The Philadelphia Athletics debuted Shibe Park, the nation's first concrete-and-steel ballpark. The $300,000 facility at 21st and Lehigh ushered in a new generation of comfortable ballparks that included Wrigley Field and Fenway Park. Hailed as "the Pride of Philadelphia," it attracted crowds that would help Connie Mack's A's win five World Series in the next 21 years.
4. Sept. 23, 1926: As part of the nation's 150th birthday celebration, Philadelphia staged the heavyweight championship fight between champion Jack Dempsey and challenger Gene Tunney. Tunney outboxed the champ in the rain, scoring a 10-round decision before a celebrity-packed crowd of 120,000 at the city's new Sesquicentennial Stadium.
5. Oct. 11-14, 1929: In two of the most memorable World Series games ever, the Philadelphia A's captured the Series by defeating the Chicago Cubs in Games 4 and 5 at Shibe Park. In Game 4, the A's overcame an 8-0 deficit with 10 runs in the bottom of the seventh. In Game 5, with President Herbert Hoover on hand, they scored three in the ninth to clinch the Series with a 3-2 victory.
6. Sept. 27, 1930: Bobby Jones, the gentlemanly amateur, became the first and only golfer to win the sport's Grand Slam when he defeated Gene Homas in the final of the U.S. Amateur at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore. The crowds were so large and interest was so intense that Marines were assigned to guard Jones, who effortlessly disposed of Homas.
