July 22, 1926 Ruth Catches ball from bi-plane
This probably won’t ever be considered as a historic event. However it was a record setting feat and entertaining nonetheless. July 22, 1926 in a stunt at Mitchell Field in New York, Ruth, a private in the National Guard, caught a baseball that was dropped from a bi-plane. The plane was at an altitude of 250 feet and traveling at about 100 miles-per-hour. The record was reported in the October 2, 1926 National Police Gazette. Below are that issue and the original photo depicted on page five.
The Babes record stood until 1939 when it was broken by Cleveland catcher Joe Sprinz. Sprinz caught a ball dropped from a blimp hovering 800 feet overhead. His new record required five attempts. On the fifth attempt, the ball crashed into his glove at an estimated 154 mph. It slammed his glove hand into his face with such force that he broke his upper jaw in twelve places, fractured five of his teeth, and was rendered unconscious. He also dropped the ball.
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