The 51st Kentucky Derby was run on May 16, 1925, and after a largely sunny afternoon it was a wet, sloppy track at Churchill Downs when the horses took off from their gates. Even more important, it was history in the making, and not just because Flying Ebony, an underdog who'd never before won a stakes race, ridden by a jockey who'd recently suffered a serious accident, won. It was also -- 98 years ago this month -- the first time the world's premier Thoroughbred contest was aired live on the radio. An estimated five million listeners tuned in nationwide to hear a broadcast originating from WHAS in Louisville.
The HISTORY Channel's Moment in Media: The Kentucky Derby Rides the Radio Airwaves
