April 26, 1947: Charlton Athletic of South London defeat Lancashire club Burnley, 1-0 at the original Wembley Stadium in London, and win the FA Cup.
Charlton had lost to Derby County in the previous year's Final. This time, both goalkeepers, Sam Bartram of Charlton and George Strong of Burnley, were superb, and kept the score 0-0 through the 90 minutes. In extra time, in the 114th minute, Chris Duffy, a 28-year-old outside left from Scotland, scored the game's only goal.
Charlton Captain Don Welsh -- despite his name, from Manchester, England, not Wales -- received the Cup from Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, filling in for his brother, King George VI.
It remains Charlton's only major trophy. They finished 2nd in the First Division in 1937, 4th in 1938, and 3rd in 1939, but World War II stalled their momentum. They were relegated to the Second Division in 1957, and the Third in 1972. They got back to the Second in 1975, and the First in 1986. By that point, the club and its stadium, The Valley, were owned by different groups, and the club's ownership moved them to Selhurst Park, as tenants of Crystal Palace.
It took until 1988 for the team's owners to buy The Valley, 1990 to get improvements for the stadium approved, and 1992 for it to reopen. They were back in the first division, now named the Premier League, in 1998-99, were relegated, then got promoted again. In 2004, with The Valley fully converted into an all-seater modern stadium, they finished 7th in the Premier League, and even dealt Arsenal's "Invincibles" one of their 12 draws. But they got relegated again in 2007, and haven't been back in the Premier League since.
Duffy lived until 1978, Bartram until 1981, Welsh until 1990. Right winger Peter Croker was the last surviving member of the 1947 "Addicks," living until 2011.
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April 26, 1947, like all FA Cup Final days, was a Saturday. Elsewhere in English soccer, Arsenal, the team I would one day support, beat Lincolnshire team Grimsby Town, 5-3 at the Arsenal Stadium, a.k.a. Highbury, in North London. Arsenal finished 13th in the Football League, 16 points behind Liverpool, and were knocked out of the FA Cup by West London team Chelsea in the 3rd Round. The next season, though, Arsenal would win the League title.
American football was out of season. Basketball season had ended 4 days earlier, when the Philadelphia Warriors beat the Chicago Stags to win the 1st Championship of the league that would become the NBA. Hockey season had ended 7 days earlier, when the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Montreal Canadiens for the Stanley Cup.
And these baseball games were played:
* The New York Yankees beat the Washington Senators, 3-1 at Yankee Stadium. Don Johnson went the distance for the win. Charlie Keller hit a home run. Joe DiMaggio went 0-for-3 with a walk.
* The Brooklyn Dodgers beat their arch-rivals, the New York Giants, 7-3 at Ebbets Field. Kirby Higbe left after 2 innings, and Vic Lombardi pitched the rest of the way for the win, outpitching Bill Voiselle. Gene Hermanski went 2-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Dixie Walker went 4-for-4 with a walk and 2 RBIs. Jackie Robinson went 0-for-3 with a walk.
* The Philadelphia Athletics beat the Boston Red Sox, 5-2 at Fenway Park in Boston. The A's scored 4 runs in the top of the 9th to win it. Ted Williams went 0-for-2 with 2 walks.
* The Boston Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-1 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.
* The Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 6-0 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Bob Feller pitched a 3-hit shutout, outpitching Hal Newhouser.
* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-2 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Frankie Baumholtz went 3-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk. For the Bucs, Hank Greenberg went 1-for-4. Ralph Kiner did not play.
* The Chicago Cubs beat their arch-rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-1 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Bob Chipman outpitched Harry Brecheen. Andy Pafko hit a home run for the Cubs, and Del Rice hit one for the Cards. Stan Musial went 0-for-3 with a walk.
* And the Chicago White Sox beat the St. Louis Browns, 2-0 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Thornton Lee pitched a 2-hit shutout. Luke Appling went 2-for-4.
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