Yankee Stadium

April 18, 2008

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Profile America — Friday, April 18th. One of the most revered sports stadiums opened to the public on this date in 1923 — Yankee Stadium in New York. More than 74,000 fans jammed the new park that day. Babe Ruth christened the stadium, hitting a three-run home run into the bleachers that won the game. Writing about the game, New York evening telegram sportswriter Fred Lieb described Yankee Stadium as “The house that Ruth built.” He could not have known that the park would still be known by that name after more than 80 years. Nearly 9 million people went to major league ballgames the year Yankee Stadium opened. Today, more than 77 million fans fill baseball stadiums from Boston to San Diego each year. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2008, p. 224
Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 400
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 1218
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html