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Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show History  
IN THE PAST 

Tags: Westminster, Dog, Show, Breeds, Pets, Terrier, Most, Wins, Ribbon, Award, Best, Year, Annual

The Westminster Dog Show has become one of the most popular events in the world. People are intrigued with the dogs and all other aspects of the show. Everyone tunes in, everyone shows dogs, and everyone owns dogs, including some famous show dog owners like Lou Gehrig, the Czar of Russia and the Emperor of Germany.

	1876 (or earlier) - A group of sporting gentlemen meet regularly in the bar of a Manhattan hotel to trade stories about their shooting accomplishments and the talents of their dogs. Eventually they form a club and name it after their favorite hotel: The Westminster Breeding Association. Early on, the club owns a kennel and raises Pointers for hunting and field trials.
	1876 - The Westminster Breeding Association helps stage a dog show in Philadelphia in celebration of America's centennial. The show is such a success that the members decide to hold their own dog show to allow them to compare their dogs in a setting away from the field. The members change the name of their organization to the Westminster Kennel Club.
	1877 - The First Annual New York Bench Show of Dogs, given under the auspices of the Westminster Kennel Club, is held in the Hippodrome at Gilmore's Garden in New York City, drawing an entry of 1,201 dogs.
	1877 - The club pays rent of $1,500 for three days, adding a fourth day during the show to accommodate the overwhelming public interest. The proceeds from that fourth day are donated to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
	1878 - The entry fee is $2, which includes feed and care of the dog.
	1884 - The Westminster Kennel Club is elected by the American Kennel Club as the AKC's first member club.
	1889 - "The Czar of Russia" is listed as the breeder of a Siberian Wolfhound entered at this year's show.
	1890 - One of the entries at this year's show is a Russian Wolfhound with a listed owner of "The Emperor of Germany."
	1892 - The entry fee for Westminster is raised from $3 to $5, where it will remain until 1947.
	1893 - Philanthropist J. P. Morgan makes the first of his many appearances at Westminster with his Collies.
	1894 - Famous American journalist Nellie Bly enters her Maltese at Westminster, some four years after she made a record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes, racing the record of Phineas Fogg in Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days.
	1904 - For the first time, handlers wear arm bands with the catalog number of their dog.
	1905 - With 1,752 dogs on hand, Westminster becomes the largest dog show ever held anywhere in the world, surpassing the last show held at the Crystal Palace in London.
	1907 - The award of Best In Show is given for the first time at Westminster. A panel of 10 judges makes the decision, although their names were not recorded. (In fact, the names making up the panel of Best In Show judges were not recorded until 1912).
	1908 - The number of dogs entered reaches 2,000 for the first time.
	1909 - Ch. Warren Remedy, a Smooth Fox Terrier, is awarded Best In Show for the third consecutive year, a feat never since duplicated at Westminster.
	1917 - A special hero of World War I, a German Shepherd named Filax of Lewanno who had brought 54 wounded soldiers to safety, was exhibited at Westminster.
	1918 - The profits of this show were donated to the American Red Cross in support of the war effort.
	1923 - No Best In Show prize is awarded because of ongoing changes in American Kennel Club rules.
	1924 - In the first Westminster held under the new rules for Groups and Best In Show judging, five Group winners (Sporting, Working, Terrier, Toy and Non-Sporting) competed for the final award of Best In Show.
	1928 - Mrs. Reginald F. Mayhew of Forest Hills, NY, becomes the first woman to have a voice in deciding Best In Show, as one of a panel of five judges making the decision.
	1933 - A German Shepherd belonging to New York Yankee great, Lou Gehrig, is among this year's entries. "Afra of Cosalta" takes second in the Open Bitch class; Gehrig goes on to some success on the baseball field instead, finishing with a .340 lifetime batting average as one of the most beloved Yankees of all time.
	1937 - 3,140 dogs are entered at Westminster.
	1941 - The show is changed from three days to a two-day event.
	1946 - A tugboat strike causes New York Mayor William O'Dwyer to close the city down on the eve of the dog show. Business was allowed to resume 24 hours later, by that time forcing Westminster to make arrangements to hold its show in one day instead of two. Using 17 rings and a makeshift schedule that kept all rings in constant use, Best In Show was awarded by 12:15 a.m. that night, 15 minutes earlier than the year before.
	1948 - Television coverage of Westminster takes place for the first time.
	1969 - The show moves to Madison Square Garden IV, its present location.
	1976 - William W. Brainard, Jr. becomes the first person to judge Best In Show three times, a mark that is still unmatched.
	1999 - "Kirby", a spunky Papillon officially known as Ch. Loteki Supernatural Being, becomes the oldest dog ever to win Best In Show. He is eight years, one month and ten days old. With this win, he becomes the first dog in the world to win both the World Dog Show (he won Best In Show at Helsinki over 17,000-plus dogs in 1998).

Lister: ListAfterList Wiki Contributors
Source: Westminster Kennel Club

Other lists of interest:

WKC Dog Show - "Best in Show" Winners IN THE PAST  (0)

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show - 'Best in Show' Winners by Breed TOP #  (0)

2007 Grammy Award Winners BESTS  (1)

Most Inspiring Person of Year 2006 PEOPLE  (1)

Most Inspiring Person of Year 2005 PEOPLE  (0)

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