Golden anniversary: Astrodome groundbreaking

Fifty years ago, a big moment in the history of sports stadiums occurred. On Jan. 3, 2012, the groundbreaking occurred for the Astrodome in Houston. It famously would become the first domed stadium in baseball. Nicknamed the eighth wonder of the world, the stadium would be the first to play baseball indoors and protect the players from the elements. Plans for an indoor stadium had been around for years. The Dodgers wanted one for themselves in Brooklyn before opting to leave for Los Angeles instead. Houston decided to build one due to the extreme summer weather of the region. Protecting fans from the dog days of a Texas summer would make fans more willing to check out the team. Sure, other sports had indoor stadiums. All hockey and basketball games are played indoors, but they weren’t the size and scope of Astrodome. It seated over 42,000 when it finally opened. Its dome was over 200 feet over the field and over 700 feet long. It was also capable of being home to a fo...