July 27, 1940: Billboard Issues Its 1st National Music Chart

July 27, 1940: Billboard magazine publishes its 1st music chart. It is based on record-store sales. The very 1st Number 1 song in America is "I'll Never Smile Again," by The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. The lead singer is a 24-year-old native of Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey named Frank Sinatra.

In their August 4, 1958 edition, Billboard began publishing the "Hot 100," which was a combination of 3 charts they had been publishing: Best Selling Singles, Most Played Juke Box Records, and Most Played by Jockeys. The 1st of those was "Poor Little Fool" by Ricky Nelson.

Oddly, for all he accomplished, Sinatra would not have a Billboard pop-music chart-topper under his own name until 1966, with "Strangers In the Night." He was 50 years old.

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July 27, 1940 was a Saturday. These games were played in what would later be called Major League Baseball:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Chicago White Sox, 6-5 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Joe Gordon and Tommy Henrich hit home runs for the Yankees, and Joe DiMaggio went 3-for-5. But Julius "Moose" Solters hit a home run to win it for the Pale Hose in the bottom of the 12th inning.

* The New York Giants beat the Chicago Cubs, 1-0 at the Polo Grounds. Bill Lorhman was 1 out away from a 3-hit shutout, by Roy Joiner had to come in and get the last out.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers got swept in a doubleheader at Ebbets Field. The St. Louis Cardinals won the opener, 4-2; and the nightcap, 6-3.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-3 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Boston Bees, 10-4 at National League Park in Boston. This was the last year of the failed 5-year rebrand of the Boston Braves and Braves Field. In 1941, they went back to the old names.

* The Washington Senators beat the Cleveland Indians, 7-1 at League Park in Cleveland.

* The Detroit Tigers swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Athletics at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. (It was renamed Tiger Stadium in 1961.) In the opener, the Tigers won, 15-2. Lynwood "Schoolboy" Rowe not only went the distance for the win, he hit a home run. The Tigers won the 2nd game, 8-7. Between the 2 games, Hank Greenberg went 3-for-9 with an RBI.

* The St. Louis Browns beat the Boston Red Sox, 13-5 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Ted Williams went 2-for-3 with 2 walks and an RBI.