This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Little League is marking its 75th anniversary with a new PBS documentary, a partnership with Major League Baseball and a website that's collecting players' memories and photos. Some important dates in the history of Little League:
— 1938: Using neighborhood boys as his guide, Carl Stotz, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, draws up rules and field dimensions.
— 1939: First game is played June 6. Lundy Lumber beats Lycoming Dairy 23-8.
— 1947: Hammonton, New Jersey, starts first Little League outside Pennsylvania. The inaugural National Little League Tournament, the forerunner of today's Little League World Series, is played.
— 1951: The first international Little League program forms in British Columbia.
— 1956: Carl Stotz severs ties with Little League in a dispute over program's direction.
— 1957: Monterrey, Mexico, becomes the first international team to win the Little League World Series.
— 1963: ABC's "Wide World of Sports" broadcasts Little League World Series championship game.
— 1964: Little League chartered by U.S. Congress.
— 1971: Aluminum bat used for first time.
— 1974: Little League changes policy to admit girls, following lawsuits.
— 1978: Little League surpasses 6,500 local leagues.
— 1985: First live broadcast of championship game.
— 1992: Stotz dies.
— 1997: Little League baseball participation reaches peak of 2.6 million.
— 2001: Little League endures birth-certificate scandal at World Series.
— 2007: Little League introduces pitch-count limits in effort to reduce arm injuries.
— 2014: Little League celebrates 75th anniversary.
Source: Little League International, AP reporting