September 21, 1949: England 0-2 Ireland

September 21, 1949: The Republic of Ireland soccer team defeats England 2-0 at Goodison Park in Liverpool, the home ground of Everton Football Club. As a result, Ireland become the 1st non-United Kingdom team to defeat England on English soil.

Cornelius "Con" Martin of Birmingham team Aston Villa, and Peter Farrell of Everton (thus playing on his home pitch), scored the goals. Davy Walsh, a forward whose best years were with Belfast team Linfield, Birmingham-area team West Bromwich Albion, and Aston Villa (where he was a teammate of Martin), was the last survivor from this team, living until 2016.

Things would get worse for England over the next few years: In 1950, they participated in the World Cup for the 1st time, and were humiliated by the U.S. team; followed by shreddings at the hands of the "Magnificent Magyars" of Hungary in 1953 and 1954, and poor performances in the 1954, 1958 and 1962 World Cups. It would take until 1966 for them to redeem themselves.

Ireland, however, were unable to follow up on this triumph. They didn’t make the World Cup until 1990 (reaching the Quarterfinals), doing so again in 1994 and 2002, but not since.

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September 21, 1949 was a Wednesday. Basketball Hall-of-Famer Artis Gilmore was born.

And these baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Chicago White Sox, 10-9 at Yankee Stadium. The White Sox scored 3 runs in the 8th inning and 3 more in the 9th, to come from behind to win. Rocky Krsnich and Gus Zernial hit home runs for the Pale Hose. Joe DiMaggio did not play.

* A doubleheader was split at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. The New York Giants lost the opener to the Cincinnati Reds, 5-4. Sheldon "Available" Jones should not have been so available, as he walked Danny Litwhiler with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning. The Giants won the nightcap, 5-2. The game was called due to rain after 7 innings.

* A doubleheader was split at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The St. Louis Cardinals won the opener, 1-0. Max Lanier pitched a 5-hit shutout, outpitching Don Newcombe. The Brooklyn Dodgers won the nightcap, 5-0. Elwin "Preacher" Roe pitched a 2-hit shutout, while Harry Brecheen didn't get out of the 4th inning. Duke Snider hit a home run. Over the 2 games, Jackie Robinson went 0-for-6 with 2 walks, while tan Musial went 1-for-7.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 9-6 at Fenway Park in Boston. Ted Williams and Al Zarilla hit home runs for the Red Sox. Ellis Kinder won his 22nd game of the season.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 4-1 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

* The Washington Senators beat the St. Louis Browns, 7-0 at Griffith Stadium in Washington. Dick Welk pitched a 3-hit shutout.

* The Boston Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 9-7 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Ralph Kiner hit 2 home runs for the Bucs, but it wasn't enough.

* And a doubleheader was split at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Philadelphia Phillies won the 1st game, 3-1. The Chicago Cubs won the 2nd game, 9-6.

May 3, 1921: The Partition of Ireland

Map showing "Ireland's Four Courts"

May 3, 1921: The United Kingdom passes the Government of Ireland Act, creating the province of Northern Ireland, separate from what is then called the Irish Free State.

Of the traditional "Ireland's Four Courts," Ulster, with its 6 Counties of Antrim (including the capital of Belfast), Down, Armagh, Tyrone, Fermanagh and Derry, became Northern Ireland. The other three remained part of Ireland proper:

* Leinster: Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois (pronounced "Leesh"), Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow.

* Munster: Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford. And:

* Connaught: Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo.

This partition of Ireland intended both territories to remain within the UK, and contained provisions for their eventual reunification. The smaller Northern Ireland was duly created with a devolved government (Home Rule), and remained part of the UK. The larger Southern Ireland was not recognized by most of its citizens, who instead recognized the self-declared 32-county Irish Republic.

Sent to London to negotiate peace terms, Michael Collins was offered a treaty that would establish the Irish Free State -- with an Oath of Allegiance to the Crown. The British Crown, held by King George V. In other words, this "Free State" would have another nation's head of state as its own -- just like Canada, Australia, and a few other "independent nations."

Collins accepted this compromise, calling it "the freedom to achieve freedom." Some in the Provisional Government did not, and the end of the Irish War of Independence led to the beginning of the Irish Civil War. This led to Collins' assassination on August 22, 1922.

On January 7, 1922, Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratified the Anglo-Irish Treaty by a vote of 64–57 at Leinster House in Dublin.

On December 6, 1922, the Partition was complete. At that time, the territory of Southern Ireland left the UK,  and became the Irish Free State, now known as the Republic of Ireland.

Up until that moment, the British Empire had been at its greatest extent, ruling over one-quarter of the world's land, and over one-quarter of the world's people. That would never be the case again: Over the next 60 years, while some of the Empire would become part of the British Commonwealth, most of it would carry out its own "Brexit," and the old saying, "The Sun never sets on the British Empire," would no longer be true.

Today, the population of Northern Ireland is a little under 2 million, slightly more Protestant than Catholic; while that of the vast-majority-Catholic Republic is just under 5 million. The UK's recent "Brexit" deal has essentially reestablished a border between them.

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May 3, 1921 was a Tuesday. These baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox, 2-0 at Fenway Park in Boston. Babe Ruth went 0-for-4, but catcher Wally Schang went 4-for-4. Bill Percy allowed 10 hits, but kept the shutout, outpitching future Yankee Herb Pennock.

* The New York Giants beat the Boston Braves, 7-2 at the Polo Grounds.

* The Brooklyn Robins (as the Dodgers were known while Wilbert Robinson managed them from 1914 to 1931) beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3 at Ebbets Field. Brooklyn trailed 3-2 going to the bottom of the 9th, but a single by Zack Wheat and a triple by Ed Konetchy won the game.

* The Washington Senators beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 4-2 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Joe Judge tripled home 2 runs in the top of the 10th inning.

* And the the Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox, 13-1 at Navin Field (later Briggs Stadium and Tiger Stadium) in Detroit. Ty Cobb went 1-for-4 with a walk and 2 RBIs. Luzerne "Lu" Blue went 2-for-4 with 5 RBIs. For the White Sox, Eddie Collins went 1-for-4.

April 10, 1998: The Good Friday Agreement

David Trimble (left) and John Hume

April 10, 1998: The Good Friday Agreement, a.k.a. the Belfast Agreement, is signed, ending "The Troubles," which had plagued Northern Ireland for about 30 years.

The agreement acknowledged that the majority of the people of Northern Ireland wished to remain a part of the United Kingdom, but also that a substantial section of the people of Northern Ireland, and the majority of the people of the island of Ireland, wished to bring about a united Ireland. Both sides agreed, for the first time, that both wishes were legitimate.

A governmental system was set up, and the 2 main belligerent groups -- the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), representing Catholics, and the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), representing Protestants, agreed to lay down their weapons, and participate in the government. One group, the Protestant Ulster Defence Assocation (UDA), was notable in its refusal.

Signing the agreement were the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Tony Blair; the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam; the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of the Republic of Ireland, Bertie Ahearn; and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the ROI, David Andrews.

For negotiating the agreement, John Hume, Leader of the ROI's Social Democratic and Labour Party, and David Trimble, Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party and subsequently First Minister of Northern Ireland, shared the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize.

Peace is a precious commodity, but it doesn't solve everything. Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, may no longer be a city of paramilitary extrajudicial killings and terrorist bombings, each responding to the other. But it remains a city overseen by the British government, and subject to the national Conservative Party's backward policies, and the British class system, which has never truly gone away. 

As recently as 2011, singer Rihanna, a subject of the United Kingdom until her native Barbados declared itself a republic on 2021, had a Number 1 hit with a song whose video was filmed in Belfast. The title refrain sings, "We found love in a hopeless place."

John Hume died on August 3, 2020. As of April 10, 2022, David Trimble is still alive. (UPDATE: Trimble died on July 25, 2022.)

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April 10, 1998 was, of course, a Friday. A full slate of Major League Baseball games was played, including the wildest home opener in Pinstriped history:

* The New York Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics, 17-13 at Yankee Stadium. The A's scored 5 runs in the 2nd inning, and 8 runs in the 5th to lead 13-12, and still lost the game. Rickey Henderson went 1-for-5 for the A's, but had no RBIs or stolen bases. For the Yankees, Tino Martinez went 3-for-4 with a home run and 5 RBIs. David Cone started, but didn't get out of the 5th inning. Mike Buddie blew the lead, but still ended up as the winning pitcher. He would win only 4 more games in the major leagues.

* The New York Mets lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-3 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Montreal Expos, 13-0 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Brant Brown and Henry Rodriguez hit home runs for the Cubs. Sammy Sosa did not, but would hit 66 for them that season.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners, 9-7 at Fenway Park in Boston.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves, 1-0 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Mike Lieberthal singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 9th, as Curt Schilling outpitched Greg Maddux.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Florida Marlins, 4-1 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The team then known as the Cleveland Indians beat the team then known as the Anaheim Angels, 8-5 at the ballpark then known as Jacobs Field. (Current names: Cleveland Guardians, Los Angeles Angels, Progressive Field.) Jim Thome hit a 3-run home run to win the game in the bottom of the 10th.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Baltimore Orioles, 7-1 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 3-0 at the new Comiskey Park in Chicago. (It's now named Rate Field.) Mike Sirotka and Matt Karchner combined on a 5-hit shutout.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins, 5-4 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-3 at what was then named The Ballpark at Arlington, in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. (It's now named Choctaw Stadium.)

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Colorado Rockies, 18-7 at Coors Field in Denver.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-4 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Houston Astros, 7-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-3 at Candlestick Park (then named 3Com Park at Candlestick Point) in San Francisco. John Mabry hit a home run for the Cardinals. Mark McGwire did not, but would go on to hit a record 70 for them that season. The Giants hit no home runs. Three years later, Barry Bonds would break McGwire's record with 73 of them.

The NFL was out of season. But there were 8 games played in the NBA:

* The Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic, 82-80 in overtime at the FleetCenter. (It's now named the TD Garden.)

* The Atlanta Hawks beat the Charlotte Hornets, 99-87 at the Charlotte Coliseum.

* The Miami Heat beat the Toronto Raptors, 111-105 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. (It's now named the Scotiabank Arena.)

* The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 107-102 at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Allen Iverson scored 43 for the Sixers, but the T-Wolves got 29 from Sam Mitchell, 28 from Stephon Marbury, and 26 from Kevin Garnett.

* The San Antonio Spurs beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 99-84 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

* The Utah Jazz beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 126-109 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. 

* The Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 114-105 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California. Antonio McDyess scored 37 points.

* And the Houston Rockets beat the Sacramento Kings, 97-85 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento. (It is now named the Sleep Train Arena.)

Only 1 game was played in the NHL that day: The Buffalo Sabres beat the Montreal Canadiens, 2-1 at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo. (It is now named the KeyBank Center.)

February 15, 1995: The Lansdowne Road Riot

February 15, 1995: Lansdowne Road Stadium in Dublin is the venue for a soccer game between the Republic of Ireland and England, a matchup fraught with political implications.

Ireland took the lead in the 22nd minute on a goal by David Kelly -- ironically, a native of England who, within the rules, chose to play for Ireland due to his ancestry, since he was unlikely to make the England team, which was then good. A lot better than it is now.

Lansdowne Road

Most likely, what happened next was due not to Kelly's choice, but to a reaction against the perception that the Ireland team supported the Irish Republican Army's attacks on Great Britain. Between the relationship between the countries, and the fact that it was a night game and there was more time for fans to drink before the game, something bad was bound to happen.

It did. A group of right-wing extremists calling themselves Combat-18 started a riot. The game was abandoned, and the 2 countries would not play each other again until 2013.

It's worth noting that, at the time, Ireland's manager was Jack Charlton, one of the heroes of English soccer's signature triumph, the 1966 World Cup (as was his brother Bobby).

Lansdowne Road has since been demolished, and the new Aviva Stadium has been built on the site.

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February 15, 1995 was a Wednesday. Rapper Meghan Thee Stallion was born.

Baseball and football were out of season. There were 7 games played in the NBA:

* The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 101-97 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia.

* The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Orlando Magic, 100-99 in overtime at the Gund Arena (now the Rocket Arena) in Cleveland.

* The Indiana Pacers beat the Detroit Pistons, 114-88 at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis.

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Washington Bullets, 107-92 at the United Center in Chicago.

* The Phoenix Suns beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 120-113 in overtime at the America West Arena (now the Mortgage Matchup Center) in Phoenix. Charles Barkley led all scorers on the night with 35 points.

* The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 102-96 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.

* The Boston Celtics beat the Golden State Warriors, 116-115 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

And there were 8 games in the NHL:

* The New York Rangers beat the Buffalo Sabres, 2-1 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.

* The New Jersey Devils beat the Washington Capitals, 4-2 at the Brendan Byrne Arena at the Meadowlands.

* The Hartford Whalers beat the Montreal Canadiens, 4-1 at the Hartford Civic Center (now the PeoplesBank Arena).

* The Florida Panthers beat the Ottawa Senators, 2-0 at the Miami Arena.

* The Edmonton Oilers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-1 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

* The Detroit Red Wings beat the Winnipeg Jets, 5-1 at the Winnipeg Arena.

* The Los Angeles Kings beat the Dallas Stars, 3-1 at the Reunion Arena in Dallas.

* And the San Jose Sharks beat the Vancouver Canucks, 3-1 at the San Jose Arena (now the SAP Ceter).