22 November 1877 - Barça's Founding Father

On 22 November 1877, future Barcelona player and president Hans-Max Gamper was born in Winterthur, Switzerland.

An avid sportsman, Gamper grew up in Zürich, where he helped found and played for both FC Excelsior and FC Zürich. He also played for FC Basel.

In 1899, he moved to Barcelona and, on 22 October, placed an ad in Los Deportes calling for people interested in forming a club. Several people responded and, on 29 November, they founded FC Barcelona. Gamper reportedly chose the club colors of red and blue, based on Basel's colors. He made 48 appearances for Barça between 1899 and 1903 and helped them claim their first silverware, the 1902 Copa Macaya.

By 1908, the club's fortunes had begun to fade. With membership declining, it appeared that Barça was on the verge of shutting down. Gamper volunteered to serve as president. He rejuvenated the membership and guided the club to an undefeated season and the 1909-09 Catalan Championship.

He stepped down as president after that season, but later served four more terms when called upon (1910-13, 1917-19, 1921-23, and 1924-25). His last term ended on 17 December 1925 when the Spanish government, in a crackdown on Catalan independence, deposed the entire board and closed the club's doors for six months.

Gamper, who by then went by "Joan Gamper," the Catalan version of his name, returned to Switzerland. He subsequently became depressed over personal and financial problems and committed suicide on 30 July 1930.

In 1966, Barça established the Joan Gamper Trophy, an annual preseason friendly, in his honor.

14 June 1925 - They Seem To Have Recovered Fully By Now

On 14 June 1925, Barcelona played a match that was almost its last.

Barça had organized the 14 June match against Jupiter, another Barcelona club, in honor of the Orfeó Català, an amateur choir founded in 1891. The Orfeó Català, also based in Barcelona, was a touchstone of Catalan culture. At that time, however, Spain was controlled by dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera v Orbaneja, whose goverment was openly hostile to Catalonia and had even banned the Catalan language.

A British Navy ship was docked in the Barcelona harbor and Barça's manager, Englishman Ralph Kirby, invited the ship's band to play at the match. The band played the Spanish national anthem - which the crowd booed - and then the English anthem "God Save the King" - which the crowd applauded.

The government responded by fining the club, forcing the resignation of club president Joan Gamper, and shutting the team down for six months. Unable to play, Barça nearly went bankrupt, but was saved by donations from loyal supporters and a local bank.