May 30, 1911: The Brickyard debuts

INDIANAPOLIS - It was an interesting idea, and a bit of a risk. Disappointed in the dwindling attendance at their various races throughout the year, the organizers of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway decided to scrap the smaller races and hold one large, prestigious race annually on Memorial Day weekend. For it to work, the race had to be long enough to draw attention, have enough prize money available to draw the best competitors, and be competed in a timeframe appropriate enough for the most number of fans.

That was how the Indianapolis 500 was born. After the Speedway organizers announced the annual race, to be held on May 30, 1911, interest was instant. There had never been a 500-mile race before, and experts all around the country took turns trying to figure out how the cars of the day could handle going that far. Intrigued by the race, and by the then-record purse of $27,700, top teams from around the country and the world started entering the competition.

Meanwhile, the IMS organizers had a race to put together. To address complaints about the low-quality racing surface, they covered the track with 3.2 million bricks. They accepted all teams willing to pay the exorbitant $500 entry fee, but said that only cars that could maintain a speed of at least 75 miles and hour for a quarter-mile would qualify.

Forty cars went to the starting line for the inaugural race, competing in front of 80,000 spectators. The cars were placed in the starting grid not by their qualifying time but in the order in which they applied for the race.

After 6 hours, 42 minutes of racing, Ray Harroun was declared the winner of the first race, but his win was not without controversy. First, competitors complained that Harroun was a hazard on the track, as he was the only driver competing without a "riding mechanic," someone tasked with checking the oil pressure and look out for other cars around him. The latter of those jobs was rendered moot when Harroun installed a rear-view mirror in his car, widely believed to be the first time a rear-view mirror was used. More controversy came from the finish, when Ralph Mulford claimed to have lapped Harroun when Harroun went in for a pit stop. Officials said that since Mulford pitted soon after, Harroun made up the difference. He was declared the winner, and he never raced again.

The Indy 500 has been held every year since, with the exception of the two World Wars. And though it has fallen back a bit in prestige in American racing, it is still the most-attended single sporting event in the world.