The Houston Astrodome opened 59 years ago today, on April 9 1965. It was the world's first multi-purpose domed sports stadium. The Astros played the New York Yankees in an exhibition game. Yankee star Mickey Mantle said, "It reminds me of what I imagine my first ride would be like in a flying saucer." Mantle hit a single and a home run in the game, which went into extra innings, but the Astros won 2-1. After the original natural grass playing surface died, the Astrodome became the first major sports venue to install artificial turf in 1966, which became known as AstroTurf. In another technological first, the Astrodome featured the "Astrolite", which was the first animated scoreboard
