This Day in American History: August 20th - Nolan Ryan's Record-Setting Fastball (1974)

On this day in 1974, a laser clocked a baseball at 100.9 miles per hour -- a record so far ahead of its time that it stood, unbroken, for 36 years.

Nolan Ryan was already establishing himself as the hardest thrower in baseball by the time he took the mound for the California Angels against the Detroit Tigers on August 20, 1974. Rockwell International, the aerospace firm, had set up a specialized radar device to measure his fastball that night. In the ninth inning, with the Angels trailing 1-0 in what would become an 11-inning complete-game loss, Ryan let loose a pitch that the device clocked at 100.9 miles per hour, measured roughly 10 feet in front of home plate.

The Guinness Book of World Records certified it as the fastest pitch ever officially recorded, and the mark stood as the standard against which every hard-throwing pitcher who came after him was measured. Modern radar guns measure pitch speed much closer to the pitcher's release point, roughly 50 feet from the plate rather than 10, which means a direct comparison isn't quite apples to apples -- baseball researchers estimate Ryan's 1974 fastball would register somewhere around 108 mph using today's measurement standards, a figure that would still be unmatched by any pitcher in the modern era.

Ryan's official 100.9 mph mark held for 36 years, until Cincinnati Reds reliever Aroldis Chapman was clocked even faster in September 2010. But the "Ryan Express" left plenty else behind: seven career no-hitters, still an MLB record by a wide margin, and 5,714 career strikeouts, the most anyone has ever thrown in the history of the game -- nearly 900 more than the second-place finisher. He pitched a jaw-dropping 27 seasons in the majors, was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999 with 98.8% of the vote, and had his number retired by three different franchises.

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Also on This Day in History

1794 — The Battle of Fallen Timbers

U.S. forces defeat a Native American confederacy in Ohio, the last major conflict of the Northwest Indian War.

1804 — Sgt. Charles Floyd Dies on the Lewis and Clark Expedition

He becomes the only member of the Corps of Discovery to die during the entire journey west.

1833 — Future President Benjamin Harrison Is Born

Harrison, who would go on to serve as the 23rd U.S. president, is born in North Bend, Ohio.

1866 — President Andrew Johnson Formally Declares the Civil War Over

More than a year after Appomattox, Johnson makes it official.

1938 — Lou Gehrig Hits His 23rd and Final Career Grand Slam

The record stands for 75 years until Alex Rodriguez finally tops it in 2013.

Source: CNN, Guinness World Records, Society for American Baseball Research