How to Play Baseball in the 1920s
Swing for the bleachers with these awesome lantern slides from the early years of professional baseball.
The Physics of Karate
A human hand has the power to split wooden planks and demolish concrete blocks. A trio of physicists investigated why this feat doesn't shatter our bones.
The Forgotten Craze of Women’s Endurance Walking
Hardy athletes called pedestriennes wowed the sporting world of the nineteenth century. They also shocked guardians of propriety.
Our Long-Running Love Affair with Pigeons
Through crazes of pigeon-fancying, these birds have been reshaped into a dizzying variety of forms.
The History Behind the Roller Skating Trend
Since its invention in 1743, roller skating has been tied to Black social movements.
Did White People Really Revive Surfing?
Contrary to the widespread idea that white missionaries stamped out the sport, evidence suggests that Native Hawai‘ians never stopped surfing.
Playing Sports and “Playing Indian”
The use of Native American stereotypes for team mascots and nicknames is related to efforts to erase Indian identity and culture.
Baseball History and Rural America
Baseball's creation myth is bunk, and historians have shown how important cities were to the game's development. But it was still a rural passion.
Biomimicry Comes for the Noble Hedgehog
Inventors often use animals' adaptations to the environment in applications that benefit humans, from sharky swimsuits to hedgehog-inspired helmets.
On the 100th Anniversary of the Negro Leagues, a Look Back at What Was Lost
A century ago, teams from eight cities formally created the Negro National League. Three decades of stellar play followed.