January 7, 1927 – Before a crowd of 300 in a high school gymnasium in Hinckley, Illinois, the Harlem Globetrotters play their first game. Every Globetrotter player fouled out or was ejected early in the game for violations ranging from dumping confetti on referees to pulling opponents’ jerseys over their heads.

January 8, 1980 – The NCAA decides to sponsor women’s championships in five sports beginning with the 1980-81 school year. While seen by many as a major breakthrough for women’s athletics, the five sports the NCAA agreed to sponsor were Jell-O wrestling, wet t-shirt competitions, mechanical bull riding, swimsuit contests, and naked Twister.

January 9, 1977 – The Oakland Raiders beat the Minnesota Vikings, 32-14, in Super Bowl XI, handing the Vikings a record four Super Bowl defeats. The Vikings feat, which has since been matched by the Buffalo Bills, is honored at the NFL Hall of Fame on the facility’s urinal cakes.

January 10, 1920 – The Montreal Canadiens defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 14-7. The Canadiens only outscored the Maple Leafs two goals to one, but the contest was a one-game experiment by the NHL in which goals were awarded with NFL-style points to see if dumb people actually thought the game was higher scoring.

January 11, 1953 – FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover declines a six-figure offer to become the president of the International Boxing Club. Hoover did agree to work as a ring card girl, however.

January 12, 1946 – The Cleveland Rams NFL franchise announces they are moving to Los Angeles. In order to appeal to a wide market, the team stated they would be called the Cleveland Rams of Los Angeles.

January 13, 1968 – Minnesota North Stars center Bill Masterton is fatally injured when he is checked in to boards and falls heavily to the ice. Since his death, the NHL has awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy each year to the player who delivers the most awesome check of the season.