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How Title IX Transformed Women's Sports
Title IX, the landmark gender equity law passed as part of the Education Amendments of 1972, banned sex discrimination in federally funded education programs. Its protections would open doors for girls and women in admission, academic majors, teaching positions, vocational ...read more
10 Famous Horse Racing Scandals
Horse racing has been called the "Sport of Kings," and, just like royalty, racing has a scandal-filled history. Some misconduct has been about manipulating races, whether by influencing jockeys or the recurring phenomenon of horse switching. While attention has also fallen on the ...read more
How Greg Louganis' Olympic Diving Accident Forced a Conversation About AIDS
Greg Louganis knew something was off as soon as his feet left the springboard. It was September 19, 1988, and the U.S. diver who had won two golds at the previous Olympics, was competing in the preliminaries at the Seoul Olympic Games. He later recounted to ABC’s Barbara Walters ...read more
How Jesse Owens Foiled Hitler's Plans for the 1936 Olympics
In 1933, shortly after assuming power as chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler moved forward with plans to turn the 1936 Summer and Winter Olympics into showcases for his regime. He ordered the construction of a massive new stadium in Berlin and channeled funds toward the ...read more
How World War II Spurred a Decade of Women’s Pro Baseball
When the United States entered World War II, Franklin D. Roosevelt made it clear that he thought Major League Baseball should continue. But as thousands of minor league players and over 500 major league players—including Joe DiMaggio—left their teams to serve in the military, ...read more
Inside RFK's Funeral Train: How His Final Journey Helped a Nation Grieve
On June 8, 1968, a 21-car train carried the body of slain New York senator and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy from New York’s Penn Station to Washington D.C.’s Union Station. Before airplanes and the interstate highway system, the train was a defining feature of the ...read more
‘Blood in the Water’: The Cold War Olympic Showdown Between Hungary and the USSR
There are two layers to every water polo match: the graceful athleticism above the water, and the rough play and cheap shots hidden beneath the surface. The 1956 Melbourne Olympics were a lot like a game of water polo. On the surface, they were billed as the “friendly games,” but ...read more
How American Icon Henry Ford Fostered Anti-Semitism
Henry Ford revolutionized American manufacturing, bringing automobiles to the masses and creating a foundation for America’s middle class by pioneering liveable factory wages. But his broader social legacy is complicated. In addition to those accomplishments, Ford used his ...read more
How Billie Jean King Led the Equal Pay for Play Battle
Whether long-time American legend Serena Williams, Japanese hotshot Naomi Osaka or Canadian sensation Bianca Andreesu captures the title at a tennis Grand Slam tournament these days, one thing’s for sure: The women’s players will get the same prize money as the men’s winner. But ...read more
Why Mixed-Race Children in Post-WWII Germany Were Deemed a ‘Social Problem’
After Allied Forces defeated Germany in World War II, the United States began its occupation of West Germany from 1945 to 1955. Although American soldiers were tasked with promoting democracy to a country ravaged by fascism, Jim Crow prevailed in the U.S. military and Black GIs ...read more
How AIDS Activists Used ‘Die-Ins’ to Demand Attention to the Growing Epidemic
As the AIDS crisis took hold in the 1980s, killing thousands of Americans and ravaging gay communities, the deadly epidemic went unaddressed by U.S. public health agencies—and unacknowledged by President Ronald Reagan—for years. In response, a political group called ACT UP ...read more
When Joe Louis Boxed Nazi Favorite Max Schmeling
Joe Louis wanted redemption, to remain the heavyweight boxing champion of the world and to avenge his sole defeat. Max Schmeling wanted repetition, the chance to regain the title he had lost and to defeat the younger man, just as he had beaten him two years earlier. As the bell ...read more
'Miracle on Ice': When the US Olympic Hockey Team Stunned the World
The Soviet hockey team, led by an iron curtain of a goaltender named Vladislav Tretiak, was the clear favorite to bring home the gold at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. The Soviets had won all four of the previous Olympics and had beaten the USA in all 12 ...read more
The Queer Victorian Doctors Who Paved the Way for Women in Medicine
In the mid-19th century, Sophia Jex-Blake struggled against constant roadblocks as a woman trying to earn a medical degree—so she decided to establish a school of her own. Founded in 1874, the London School of Medicine for Women was the first and only place a woman could earn a ...read more
The Tulsa Race Massacre: Facts About the Attacks and the Coverup
The Tulsa Race Massacre stands out as one of the worst acts of racial violence in American history—and, for decades, it remained one of the least known. Over the course of 18 hours, from May 31 to June 1, 1921, a white mob attacked residents, homes and businesses in the ...read more