Times of Crisis
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How sports events were affected:
Date/Year: 1916
Occurrence: World War I
Response: Berlin Olympic Games canceled.
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Date/Year: 1918
Occurrence: World War I
Response: Major league baseball season ends Sept. 2 by order of War Department.
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Date/Year: 1919
Occurrence: Flu epidemic
Response: Stanley Cup series between Montreal and Seattle canceled.
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Date/Year: Aug. 2, 1923
Occurrence: President Warren G. Harding dies
Response: Major league baseball cancels one day of regular-season play.
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Date/Year: 1940
Occurrence: World War II
Response: Tokyo, Helsinki Olympics canceled.
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Date/Year: Dec. 7, 1941
Occurrence: Pearl Harbor bombing
Response: No NFL games canceled. Rose Bowl game for Jan. 1, 1942, relocated from Pasadena to Durham, N.C. East-West All-Star game for Jan. 3, 1942, relocated from San Francisco to New Orleans.
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Date/Year: 1944
Occurrence: World War II
Response: London Olympic Games canceled.
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Date/Year: June 6, 1944
Occurrence: D-Day
Response: Major league baseball cancels one day of regular-season play.
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Date/Year: April 12, 1945
Occurrence: President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies
Response: Major league baseball cancels exhibition games two days later.
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Date/Year: 1945
Occurrence: World War II
Response: Major league baseball All-Star game canceled due to travel restrictions.
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Date/Year: Feb. 6, 1952
Occurrence: King George VI dies
Response: Game postponed between New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs.
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Date/Year: Nov. 22, 1963
Occurrence: President John F. Kennedy assassinated
Response: NFL continues with scheduled games. Army-Navy game and AFL games postponed.
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Date/Year: April 5, 1968
Occurrence: Martin Luther King assassinated
Response: Washington Senators postpone
AL opener five days later.
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Date/Year: Sept. 5, 1972
Occurrence: Palestinian terrorists kill 11 Israeli athletes
Response: Munich Olympic Games suspended 34 hours
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Date/Year: March 31, 1981
Occurrence: President Reagan assassination attempt
Response: NCAA basketball championship game between North Carolina and Indiana continues as scheduled.
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Date/Year: Oct. 17, 1989
Occurrence: San Francisco Loma Prieta earthquake
Response: World Series suspended until Oct. 27.
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Date/Year: Jan. 27, 1991
Occurrence: Gulf War
Response: Super Bowl XXV between New York Giants and Buffalo Bills is played amid heavy security.
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Date/Year: April 30, 1992
Occurrence: Los Angeles riots
Response: NBA playoff series between Clippers and Utah postponed and relocated to Anaheim. Laker-Portland series postponed and relocated to Las Vegas. Dodgers postpone four games. USC-UCLA track meet postponed. Hollywood Park and Los Alamitos cancel racing.
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Date/Year: Jan. 17, 1994
Occurrence: Northridge earthquake
Response: Lakers, Clippers and USC basketball team postpone games.
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Date/Year: July 27, 1996
Occurrence: Atlanta bombing
Response: Olympics continue as scheduled.
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Date/Year: Aug. 30, 1997
Occurrence: Princess Diana dies
Response: Weekend’s Premier League soccer schedule postponed.
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Date/Year: April 20, 1999
Occurrence: Columbine shooting
Response: Colorado Avalanche postpones two playoff games. Colorado Rockies postpone two games. Denver Nuggets postpone one game.
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Date/Year: Sept. 11, 2001
Occurrence: Terrorist attacks on World Trade Center and Pentagon
Response: Major league baseball postpones day’s schedule. UCLA and other major colleges postpone weekend football games.
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