Daniel "Doc" Adams (1814–1899) was an American baseball player and executive who is regarded as an important figure in the sport's early years. He began his career with the New York Knickerbockers in 1845 and played for the club into his forties (pictured, center, in 1859). Researchers have called Adams the creator of the shortstop position, and as club president six times between 1847 and 1861, Adams advocated rule changes that resulted in nine-man teams and nine-inning games. When the National Association of Base Ball Players was formed in 1858, he led the rules and regulations committee of the new organization. In his role, Adams ruled that the field's bases should be 90 feet (27 m) apart, the modern distance, and supported eliminating the "bound rule", which allowed for balls caught after one bounce to be recorded as outs. Adams' contributions in creating baseball's rules went largely unrecognized for decades after his death, but in 1980 a letter about him appeared in The New York Times and by 1993, researcher John Thorn had written about Adams' role. His nickname came from his medical work; he later became a bank president and member of the Connecticut legislature.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doc_Adams

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

996:

Holy Roman Emperor Otto III issued a document containing the earliest known use of "Osterrîchi", the Old High German name of Austria. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_of_Austria

1611:

The first recorded performance of William Shakespeare's play The Tempest was held at the Palace of Whitehall in London, exactly seven years after the first certainly known performance of his tragedy Othello was held in the same building. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Othello

1876:

The Colony of New Zealand dissolved its nine provinces and replaced them with 63 counties. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_of_New_Zealand

1950:

Two Puerto Rican nationalists attempted to assassinate U.S. President Harry S. Truman (pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truman_assassination_attempt

1963:

Lê Quang Tung, loyalist head of the South Vietnam Special Forces, was executed in a US-backed coup against President Ngô Đình Diệm following a period of religious unrest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1963_South_Vietnamese_coup

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

auton: (science fiction) A machine or robot, usually in the form of a living being, designed to follow a precise sequence of instructions. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/auton

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Now two punctilious envoys, Thine and Mine, Embroil the earth about a fancied line; And, dwelling much on right and much on wrong, Prove how the right is chiefly with the strong. ☳☶ ䷊䷋ ☳☶   --Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nicolas_Boileau-Despr%C3%A9aux