Major League Baseball, Emmy Nominations, and Hoover the Talking Seal

Major League Baseball is the highest-level professional baseball organization in America and the oldest professional sports league in the US, dating back to the Civil War. It generates the second-highest revenue among the Big Four US sports organizations and features the longest season in professional sports.

> Check out a ranking of the top 100 players in baseball history, from Barry Larkin to Babe Ruth. (More)

> Visualize how changes to lineups, driven by modern analytics, could have changed one of MLB's most iconic moments. (More)

The league has endured numerous controversies and changes: the freewheeling (and dangerous) 19th-century Deadball Era, Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color barrier in the mid-20th century, and the performance-enhancing controversies of the 1980s and 1990s.

> Before 1920, during the Deadball Era, a single baseball was used throughout a Major League game, leading to a notoriously dirty style of play. (More)

> Jackie Robinson's iconic 42 is the only number that's been retired leaguewide, meaning no current players can wear it except in his honor. (More)

> The 1919 Chicago White Sox, later known as the "Black Sox," were banned from baseball for fixing that year's World Series despite being acquitted in court. (More)

First played in 1933, the MLB All-Star Game is a midseason exhibition matchup that brings together the sport's top players from the American League and National League. Fans, players, and coaches vote to select the rosters, with the game held at a different host ballpark each year. 

> The first MLB All-Star Game was designed by a sports journalist during the Great Depression. (More)

> Watch some of the best moments from the history of the All-Star Game. (More, w/video)

Discover more: 

> See how MLB teams can travel with roughly 12,000 pounds of gear and luggage (More, w/video)

> Every MLB baseball needs to be rubbed with a special kind of mud, provided by one New Jersey family. (More, w/video)

> "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" was inspired by a billboard advertisement. (More, w/video)

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 News in Context 

1440 brings you the knowledge and context behind the week's stories:

The 2026 NATO Summit took place in Turkey this week as the US-Iran war escalated. (More)

> NATO was formed in 1949 to deter Soviet expansion and help restore Europe. 

> See a map of the current 32 NATO countries.

Pop star Taylor Swift and Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce officially tied the knot on July 3. (More)

> The pair's relationship boosted the NFL's popularity among younger audiences. 

> ... and learn about the impact of Swift's Eras Tour on regional economies. 

Venezuela's recent earthquakes have devastated the population and left survivors with new health issues. (More)

> Visualize how search and rescue teams pull survivors from rubble.

> Why earthquakes are so difficult to predict.

Nominations for the 2026 Emmy Awards, taking place in September, were announced this week. (More w/full list)

> "The Pitt" led nominations with 25 nods. Listen to an explainer on how the show found success using an old-school production model.

> See a list of all the stars with EGOTs.

In partnership with Fisher Investments

Ways to Keep More of What You’ve Earned

Managing a portfolio of $5 million or more comes with complex challenges—countless investment options, big tax bills and a meaningful legacy to pass along

someday. Fisher Investments understands these complexities and is offering a

free guide to help you navigate them.

Claim your complimentary copy of Tax-Efficient Wealth Management for Affluent Investors now for tax-efficient strategies to help make the most of your life and legacy.

Please support our sponsors!

 Etcetera 

Visualize the path of every solar eclipse from 1900 to 2099.

Listen to Hoover, the seal who spoke English.

Mary Shelley was inspired to write "Frankenstein" after a challenge from British poet Lord Byron.

Explore photos from a little girl's 120-year-old time capsule.

Fruit fly sperm are about 40 times larger than human sperm.

How a Philadelphia hot dog vendor invented the cheesesteak.

🫶 Humankind: 11-year-old Kentucky boy rescues man who fell unconscious in an apartment pool.

Hippos produce their own sunscreen from glands beneath their skin.

The same thunderstorm named Hector appears every afternoon in Australia. 

Why some researchers find TikTok more addictive than other social media platforms.

Only about half of Americans have retirement plans through their work.

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils thanks to its 200-foot drop and forceful currents.

Historybook: US Founding Father Alexander Hamilton dies (1804); The Rolling Stones perform first concert (1962); Geraldine Ferraro is first American female major-party VP candidate (1984); Activist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai born (1997).