Where was the first night game in Major League Baseball history played?

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt flicked a ceremonial switch on May 24, 1935 from Washington D.C.. Cincinnati Reds President Lee McPhail received a message via the wire from FDR, he hit the switch and 632 flood lights from GE went on and the first night baseball game in MLB history began at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.

The Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 in front of 25,000 fans.

Night games had been played in the minor leagues, as teams discovered that even the financial difficulties of the Great Depression didn’t stop people from coming to games and that baseball under the lights often doubled and tripled attendance.

Seeing the success in the minors, Reds president Larry MacPhail received permission at the December 1934 National League meetings to introduce night baseball in Cincinnati.

To capitalize on their new evening fan base, the Reds played a night game that year against every National League team–eight games in total–and despite their lousy record of 68-85, paid attendance rose 117 percent.

Most baseball owners in the 30s and 40s installed lights in their stadiums, reaping huge revenues.

Wrigley Field was the last stadium to install lights with the first game on Aug. 9, 1988. The game was supposed to be one day earlier, but it was rained out in the third inning.