July 23, 1972 – Eddie Merckx of Belgium wins his fourth consecutive Tour de France. Because performance-enhancing drugs were not widely used or known about in 1972, the French accused Merckx of cheating by properly hydrating himself.

July 24, 1983 – George Brett hits a two-run home run versus the Yankees that is temporarily disallowed because pine tar on his bat extended more than 18 inches up the handle. The initial ruling was overturned after it was discovered that it was not pine tar on Brett’s bat, but residue left behind by a Kansas City rookie from a hazing incident that had occurred the night before.

July 25, 1908 – While carrying a Bible in his left hand for inspiration, American Forrest Smithson wins the 110-meter hurdles at the London Olympics. Smithson later became an atheist because he missed out on setting a new world record by one hundredth of a second thanks to the added weight of the Bible.

July 26, 1920 – At the Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium, 72-year-old Oscar Swahn of Sweden wins a silver medal in shooting, making him the oldest medallist in Olympic history. Sadly, Swahn was imprisoned days later for shooting some kids who wouldn’t get off his lawn.

July 27, 1952 – Emil Zatopek of Czechoslovakia wins the Olympic marathon to become the only man to sweep the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters and marathon. Zatopek is also the only man in history to bleed dry out of his nipples.

July 28, 1978 – Fred Lynn of the Boston Red Sox hits two doubles, two triples, and a home run in a game. The feat was not as impressive as it could have been, however, because one of his doubles or triples was not a single, thereby robbing him of hitting for the ever-prestigious cycle.

July 29, 1989 – The Texas Rangers trade Sammy Sosa and Scott Fletcher to the Chicago White Sox for Harold Baines. Rangers’ owner George W. Bush approved of the trade after relying on U.S. and British scouts who said Sosa was a major bust risk.