Both major leagues suspended play. Two members from each club were selected to participate in ceremonies tracing the evolution of the game.
The major leagues turned back the clock a century and staged a "Cavalcade of Baseball," presenting highlights of the game from its ception to the present; from "town ball", a game with an unlimited number of players which gave Doubleday his inspiration, to the big-time, modern organized game featuring present-day stars.
The Hall of Fame, located in the National Baseball Museum at Cooperstown, was dedicated. Eleven baseball immortals have been voted niches in the museum by the Baseball Writers' Association which pools its membership each year, In order to become eligible, a candidate must receive at least 75 per cent. of the votes cast. Each writer picked 10 men.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.