September 28, 1920: Shoeless Joe Jackson admits to intentionally losing the 1919 World Series, prompting a grand jury investigation.
Nearly one year earlier, the White Sox had lost to the Cincinnati Reds in a rare best-of-nine World Series, 5-3. Even before the World Series had started, there were rumors among gamblers and media members alike that some members of the White Sox had arranged a deal to throw the Series.
The attention didn't dissuade those players from participating, though, and one year later, after rumors continued to batter the White Sox throughout the 1920 season, a grand jury launch an investigation.
On September 28, Shoeless Joe Jackson and Eddie Cicotte admitted their participation on the fixed game. Less than a month later, eight White Sox players were indicted by the grand jury.
The subsequent trial should have been an easy decision, but tampering complicated the process. Key evidence, including the signed confessions of Jackson and Cicotte, disappeared from the courthouse, and the pair then recanted and said they hadn't conspired to fix the World Series.
Without that evidence, the jury deliberated for less than three hours. The verdict: Not guilty on all charges.
The decision saved Jackson and other White Sox players from any further legal trouble, but their association with baseball was over: In 1921, they received lifetime bans from Major League Baseball and the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame, which are still in place today.
And, years later, the signed confessions were finally discovered. They were in the possession of a lawyer representing Charlie Comiskey, the owner of the White Sox.
