Various noteworthy events occurred on August 18th in sports history. Spanning from emotional to glorious, things that happened many years ago are vividly remembered to this day. Firstly, the NBA had to say a goodbye to one of its most beloved stars of all-time. In addition, an MLB icon hit one of his milestones that solidified his legacy as one of the greats.

Larry Bird Retires

YEAR: 1992

SIGNIFICANCE: Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics officially announced his retirement

There are a handful of household names that live in the NBA forever from names like Michael Jordan to Magic Johnson. One the sits comfortably right next to those names is Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird. 28 years ago today, Bird officially announced his retirement following a 13-year Hall of Fame career. Following his retirement, Boston fans didn’t have to part too far as Bird immediately joined the front office of the Celtics. Concluding his career with three NBA championships as well as starring on the ’92 USA Dream Team, Bird went out with one of the strongest legacies the NBA has ever witnessed and is widely recognized on the NBA’s all-time Mount Rushmore.

Most XBH of All-Time

On this day in 1973, Hank Aaron set an all-time major league record with his 1,378th extra base hit.
— Sports Anniversaries (@SportsAnnys) August 18, 2016

YEAR: 1973

SIGNIFICANCE: Hank Aaron hit his 1,378th career XBH passing Stan Musial for the most all-time

On this day in 1973, Braves OF Hank Aaron became the all-time extra-base hits leader with an 8th inning Home Run against the Expos’ Steve Rogers. Aaron passed Stan Musial on the all-time XBH list, and to this day is still No. 1 on the list. He is currently one of only two players (Barry Bonds; 1,440) in MLB history to collect over 1,400 hits that were more than singles. Aaron also holds Atlanta’s franchise record for XBH in a season with 92, and has the all-time record for most total bases (6,856) and RBI (2297) in MLB history.

Most PA Ever

Random #MLB fact: Five players have had at least 13,000 career plate appearances.
5. Ty Cobb (13,099)
4. Rickey Henderson (13,346)
3. Hank Aaron (13,941)
2. Carl Yastrzemski (13,992)
1. Pete Rose (15,890)

Each had at least a 23-year career.
— Ron Clements (@Ron_Clements) October 16, 2018

YEAR: 1982

SIGNIFICANCE: Pete Rose moved ahead of Hank Aaron for 1st place in MLB history with his 13,941st PA

38 years ago, Phillies 1B Pete Rose surpassed Aaron for the most plate appearances in MLB history. Rose led off for the Phils, and stepped up to the plate seven times in a 15-inning ballgame vs the Houston Astros. “Charlie Hustle” (15,890 PA) is still the leader in the aforementioned category, and the only player ever to reach the 14,000 and 15,000 PA mark. Second on the list is Carl Yastrzemski with 13,992, whopping 1,898 PA less than Rose.

Brett Favre's Comeback

YEAR: 2009

SIGNIFICANCE: Brett Favre returned to the NFL after 2 previous retirements

Long-serving Green Bay Packer Brett Favre had one of the most impressive careers a quarterback has ever had in the NFL. Holding the record for the most touchdown passes and passing yards for a number of years, Favre’s legacy speaks for itself. One thing the NFL legend struggled with greatly was saying goodbye to his career. On this day 11 years ago, Brett Favre made his return to the NFL after two previous retirements. He signed a 2-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings for his age-40 and age-41 seasons, which would eventually culminate in the end of his career.

Latham Steals Second

Arlie Latham, stealer of 129 bases in 1887, returns to baseball at age 49. He steals one base but goes 0 for 2.
— Jeremy Frank (@MLBRandomStats) December 9, 2016

YEAR: 1909

SIGNIFICANCE: Arlie Latham (age-49) became the oldest player to ever steal a base

Arlie Latham, the Giants player-manager in 1909, pinch-ran himself into the ballgame and stole second-base, becoming the oldest player in MLB history to steal a bag. Latham was 49 years old at the time, and had been inactive for an entire decade. He is currently seventh on the all-time stolen base list with 742, and held the No. 1 spot from 1887 to 1896 until Billy Hamilton surpassed him.

Latham was a fierce base stealer back in the day, recording 367 SBs between the 1886 and 1889 seasons. Latham’s record has stood for 111 years and counting as the Mets’ Julio Franco (48 years old) is the oldest player to steal a base since that time. Latham also has one of the greatest nicknames ever— “The Freshest Man on Earth”.