Dates of memorable events in American history remain seared in our minds forever.

Some of our readers can recall where they were when Pearl Harbor was attacked on Dec. 7, 1941, or what they were doing on June 6, 1944, when the Allies landed at Normandy on D-Day.More of us who were around can recall where we were when the news flashed that John Kennedy had been assassinated in Dallas, Texas on Nov. 22, 1963.And even more of us are able to replay the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, when the terrible news broke that terrorists had hijacked planes and were crashing them into American targets.On a much lighter note, famous sporting events tend to become more exaggerated and personalized as the years roll by. Today, there may be 50 times more fans than were in actual attendance at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 8, 1956, who swear they watched Don Larson pitch his perfect game against Brooklyn in the World Series, or who were at the same stadium two years later on Dec. 28, 1958, to witness the Baltimore Colts defeat of the New York Giants for the NFL Championship, in what's been called the Greatest Football Game Ever Played.When it comes to sports records most likely to go unchallenged, it very well could be the night Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a professional basketball game.Today marks the 50th anniversary of that game played between Chamberlain's Philadelphia Warriors and the New York Knicks at Hershey Park Arena on March 2, 1962. One our own TIMES NEWS co-workers Carbon County Courthouse beat reporter and associate editor Denny McLaughlin was an eyewitness. We take him at his word because he's such a respected court reporter and a man with that kind of reputation would never make up a story.Denny says he often tagged along to games with his brother Norm, a name familiar to many in the Tamaqua area for his contributions in local sports, especially Marian football. They and a few other buddies, as well as a group from the Tamaqua YMCA, were part of the crowd that reportedly numbered 4,124 in the arena that snowy night.Denny remembers Norm landing them primo seats for the game behind the scoring table, just a short distance from the official time keeper. The clock and timer became very significant in the closing minutes when fans became aware that Wilt was approaching the incredible century mark in scoring.As the final seconds wound down and the Warriors had the ball, many in Hershey arena began chanting "Give it to Wilt!" The Knicks, meanwhile, were trying to use as much time as they could on each possession to keep The Big Dipper from touching the ball.Chamberlain scored his 98th point with 1:19 remaining. In the next 33 seconds he missed a foul shot and two consecutive shots from the field before catching a lob pass and slamming it through the nets for his 100 points. In order to play out the final 46 seconds, the court had to be cleared of fans, who had stormed onto the floor.The Warriors beat the Knicks 169-147 but that final score was secondary to what became one of the greatest individual achievements in the history of team sports.Denny McLaughlin says the significance of Chamberlain breaking the 100-point barrier really didn't hit him until he got home and the news of the remarkable feat dominated newspaper headlines and flooded the airwaves."It's like nothing that ever happened to me before," Chamberlain remarked after that historic game.It's also like nothing that's ever been witnessed before or since in professional sports.By Jim Zbickjzbick@tnonline.com