Archive for the ‘History’ Category
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Rugby history
Thursday, August 27th, 2009
Rugby School
The legendary story/myth about the origin of Rugby football—whereby a young man named William Webb Ellis “took the ball in his arms [i.e. caught it] and ran,” showing “a fine disregard,” while playing Rugby School’s already distinctive version of football (not to be confused with association football, which was [...] -
U.S. high school basketball
Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
Before widespread school district consolidation, most United States high schools were far smaller than their present day counterparts and during the first decades of the 20th century basketball quickly became the ideal interscholastic sport due to its modest equipment and personnel requirements. In the days before widespread television coverage of professional [...]
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Foundation of the modern game in ice hockey
Sunday, May 3rd, 2009
The original Stanley Cup, in the Hockey Hall of Fame vault.
The development of the modern game centred on Montreal. On March 3, 1875 the first organized indoor game was played there, as recorded in the Montreal Gazette. In 1877, McGill University students, James Creighton, Henry Joseph, Richard F. Smith, W.F. Robertson, and [...] -
Mediæval football – Calcio Fiorentino
Friday, April 3rd, 2009
An illustration of so-called “mob football”.
The Middle Ages saw a huge rise in popularity of annual Shrovetide football matches throughout Europe, particularly in England. The game played in England at this time may have arrived with the Roman occupation, but there is little evidence to indicate this. Reports of a game [...] -
London Prize Ring rules (1743)
Thursday, April 2nd, 2009
The beginnings of the modern right cross demonstrated in Edmund Price’s The Science of Self Defense: A Treatise on Sparring and Wrestling, 1867
Records of boxing activity disappeared after the fall of the Roman Empire. The sport would later resurface in England during the early 18th century in the form of bare-knuckle [...] -
Snooker history
Thursday, March 26th, 2009
Illustration of a game of three ball pocket billiards in early 19th century Tübingen, Germany
The game of billiards dates back to the 15th century but snooker is a more recent invention. In the late 19th century billiards games were popular among British army officers stationed in India, and players used to [...] -
History of ice hockey
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
Dutch burghers playing a game that looks much like ice hockey.
Games between teams hitting an object with curved sticks have been played throughout the world since prehistoric times. The word “hockey” has been used since the 16th century, but its etymology is uncertain. It may derive from the Old French word [...] -
History of greyhound racing
Monday, March 23rd, 2009
Photo finish of a greyhound race in Tampa, Florida, USA on February 9, 1939.
Modern greyhound racing has its origins in coursing. The first recorded attempt at racing greyhounds on a straight track was made beside the Welsh Harp reservoir, Hendon in 1876, but this experiment did not develop. The sport [...] -
History of cross-country skiing
Friday, March 20th, 2009
A skiing Lappish woman or a goddess. Olaus Magnus
Cross-country skiing originated in Fennoscandian countries in prehistoric times. It was still widely practiced in 19th century as a way of moving from place to place in winter. Elks, deers and other animals were hunted by skiing. Nowadays almost everyone in Finland and [...] -
Origins of boxing
Saturday, March 14th, 2009
Youths boxing in a Minoan fresco on the Greek island of Santorini
Earliest evidence suggests that boxing was prevalent in North Africa during 4000 BC and the Mediterranean in 1500 BC.
A Greek ruler named Thesus, who ruled around 900 B.C., was entertained by men who would be seated in front of each other [...] -
Biathlon history
Friday, March 13th, 2009
The sport has its origins in an exercise for Norwegian soldiers. The first known competition took place in 1767 when border patrol companies competed against each other. Gradually the sport became more common throughout Scandinavia as an alternative training for the military.
Called military patrol, the combination of skiing and shooting was [...] -
History of baseball
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
The New York Giants baseball team, circa 1910.
Origins of baseball
The distinct evolution of baseball from among the various bat-and-ball games is difficult to pin down. However, it is mainly agreed that modern baseball is an American development from earlier British games, such as rounders, with possible influences from cricket.
1886 baseball [...] -
Betting scandals
Sunday, January 25th, 2009
Historically, sports betting has been associated with a number of unsavory characters, which has a lot to do with its desultory legal treatment throughout the world. Organized crime notoriously has relied upon sports betting for money laundering or funding purposes. The corruption or threat of a boxer to take a dive [...]
