It was on this day in 1936 that the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted its first members.  The five men chosen to be the first inductees were Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson.

Perhaps the most notable player on this list is Ty Cobb, who holds several prestigious MLB records, including highest career batting average (.366) and most career batting titles (12).  He spent most of his career playing for the Tigers in Detroit, where he recorded a majority of his 4,191 career hits, batted over .400 three times and won the 1911 AL MVP award.

Also inc

luded in the Class of '36 was Babe Ruth, who won seven World Series Championships, 12 AL Home Run Titles, one AL Batting Title, and the 1923 AL MVP award.

As of January 2013, a total of 300 individuals have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Among them are 208 former Major League players, 35 Negro League players, 19 managers, 10 umpires, and 28 pioneers and executives.

Here is a video tour of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY:

Notable Birthdays

Marc Gasol, NBA – Born on January 29, 1985 (age 28) in Barcelona, Spain

Rob Bironas, NFL – Born on January 29, 1978 (age 35) in Louisville, Kentucky

Dominik Hasek, NHL – Born on January 29, 1965 (age 48) in Pardubice, Czechoslovakia