Archive · Events
Documented events
Foundational and notable roller-derby events the archive has documented. Each card carries a source-confidence badge — Verified, Probable, or Unconfirmed — and the date precision the record supports.
Showing 7 of 7
2000s
Hall of Fame Reopens
The National Roller Derby Hall of Fame is revived after several decades dormant. Twelve inductees in the revival class, ceremony in Brooklyn, NY.
Verified2026-08-071970s
Original Roller Derby Closes
Jerry Seltzer winds down the original Roller Derby operation. Breakaway circuits including Roller Games continue independently.
Verified2026-08-071950s
National Roller Derby Hall of Fame Founded
Inaugural class of the National Roller Derby Hall of Fame: Josephine 'Ma' Bogash and Johnny Rosasco.
Verified2026-08-071940s
National Roller Derby League Formation
Six teams form the NRDL: New York Chiefs, Brooklyn Red Devils, Jersey Jolters, Philadelphia Panthers, Washington-Baltimore Jets, and Chicago Westerners.
Verified2026-08-071940s
First National Television Broadcast
November 29, 1948: Roller Derby's first national television broadcast. The medium will define the sport's commercial profile through the 1950s.
Verified2026-08-071930s
Salem, Illinois Bus Disaster
A Roller Derby team bus crashes near Salem, Illinois on March 24, 1937. The disaster causes fatalities and reshapes Roller Derby's road logistics for years afterward.
Verified2026-08-071930s
Founding of Roller Derby
Leo Seltzer's transcontinental endurance contest at the Chicago Coliseum. Twenty-five mixed male-female pairs compete. Clarice Martin and Bernie McKay finish as the founding winners.
Verified2026-08-07
End of results · 7 records
End of results. 7 records.