May 1, 1926

Democrats and Republicans met on the greensward at Griffith Stadium for the ritual Congressional Baseball Game—a tradition dating to 1909. On the eve of the game, the press beckoned staff and city residents to fill the bleachers. “Public encouragement and applause may work wonders in developing Walter Johnsons and Babe Ruths from the raw material of Congress,” chortled the Washington Post. “To many Americans the baseball bat is mightier than the tongue; and in any event the exercise of another set of muscles will be beneficial to the habitués of the cloakrooms.” More than 4,000 fans arrived early to watch elaborate pre-game ceremonies. An elephant and donkey led parades by both parties, while a comedian served as emcee and the Army and Navy bands played tunes. Speaker Nicholas Longworth of Ohio, flanked by an entourage of social and political leaders, occupied the President’s box. Ticket sales supported the Congressional Wives’ Club. The game was a high-scoring affair as Republicans opened an early lead by ripping into Democratic pitching for seven runs on six hits. Representative Carl G. Bachmann of West Virginia led the GOP on 4-for-4 hitting with two doubles. Behind the bats of Thomas J. Busby of Mississippi, Thomas W. Wilson of Mississippi, and James M. Mead of New York—each went 3-for-4 at the plate—Democrats forged ahead to a 12–9 advantage. In the bottom of the seventh inning, however, Republicans tried to ignite a rally by sending their big sluggers to bat out of order. When Representative Bachmann strode into the batter’s box for a fifth time, Democrats protested. After 15 minutes of debate and wrangling at home plate, the umpires called the game in the Democrats’ favor.

May 6, 1965

On this date, the House voted in favor of a $5.1 billion authorization for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In 1961, during a Joint Session before Congress, President John F. Kennedy challenged America to send a man to the moon before the end of the decade. President Lyndon B. Johnson continued his predecessor’s fervent support for the civilian space program and stressed the need for adequate federal funding to ensure that the U.S. keep pace with the Soviet Union in the increasingly competitive space race during the Cold War. “If any fault is to be found hereafter with the progress of our space program,” Claude Pepper of Florida remarked during floor debate about the continuation of funding for NASA’s quest for a moon landing, “I do not want it to be on my hands at least and more importantly, I do not want it to be on the hands of this House of Representatives.” Although the majority of Representatives in the 89th Congress (1965–1967) favored the substantial appropriation for space exploration, Congressman H. R. Gross of Iowa voiced the concerns of the few dissenters. “It seems to me that we had better think in terms of pulling back on this moonshot business until we can catch up with ourselves in the matter of spending.” Ultimately, the House reaffirmed its support for Kennedy’s lofty goal by overwhelmingly backing the measure by a vote of 389 to 11.

May 8, 1936

On this date in the 74th Congress (1935–1937), Members of the House of Representatives debated renaming a portion of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Chickamauga Dam after Congressman Samuel McReynolds of Tennessee. Following an age-old practice of naming public works projects after local politicians, House Members tried to amend the TVA appropriations bill to honor the Congressman who worked tirelessly to bring the project to his district. Right before the House was slated to vote on the naming amendment, Representative Clarence Cannon of Missouri suggested renaming another TVA dam after John Rankin of Mississippi. Some Members insisted that the renaming of the dam constituted a change in the legislation. Cannon cited sections 3864 and 1445 of Hinds’ Precedents, and insisted that the words “known as the Rankin Dam” were descriptive and not a legislative change. A humorous floor debate ensued for nearly an hour. Topics ranged from discussing the problems of naming a dam after a living or dead Congressman to the syntax of descriptive language versus legislation. The House erupted into laughter when Minority Leader Bertrand Snell of New York raised the question, “Would it be possible during the expansion of the T.V.A. to build enough dams so that every deserving Democrat could have his name on a dam?” Five pages of the Congressional Record were filled with such back and forth between Members. Ultimately, the House voted against the amendment and the name remained the Chickamauga Dam, after the tribe of Native Americans that broke away from the Cherokee Nation in the 1700s.