history column
The Battle Of Britain: Remembering Lennox Lewis’ Epic Clash With Frank Bruno
In October 1993, Lennox Lewis fought Frank Bruno in a clash of British boxing titans at Cardiff Arms Park. It was a fight swirling with undercurrents of race and identity, and remains a classic to this day.
The Best of Enemies: Eubank vs. Benn and the Glory Days of British Boxing
In October 1993, Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn fought at Old Trafford stadium. In front of a sell-out crowd and with a reported global TV audience of half a billion, it was perhaps the high-watermark of British boxing's nineties golden age.
Boxing, Wrestling, Defining A Hero: The Significance Of Sport In Epic Literature
As far back as the first known literature in Europe, sport has been a crucial narrative device. More than that, however, it has defined what it is to be a warrior, and what it is to be a man.
Between Life and Death: Remembering Boxer Michael Watson's Fightback From the Abyss
It is 25 years since Michael Watson fought Chris Eubank at White Hart Lane. The injuries Watson suffered that night changed him forever, but, a quarter of a century on, the extent of his recovery continues to defy expectations.
Throwback Thursday: Annie Londonderry, the Self-Promoting Feminist Who Biked Around the World
In 1894, a 24-year-old woman embarked on an around-the-world bicycle ride that captured international attention and defied gender expectations.
Royalist, Republican, Socialist, Fascist: The Chequered History of the Copa del Rey
Since its inception in 1903, the Copa del Rey has been treated like a political football. Over the decades, it has been appropriated by everyone and anyone who has ruled over Spain.
Tragedy in the Skies: The Fateful Final Journey of FC Pakhtakor Tashkent
In August 1979 FC Pakhtakor Tashkent's first-team squad perished in a mid-air collision. The crash was a tragic accident, but there is an inevitable whiff of Communist Party cover-up about the events that day.
“There Will Be Only One Nation”: The Boy Who Defined The Olympic Finale
Just before the closing ceremony of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, the International Olympic Committee received an anonymous letter. Its contents would change the Olympics for good.
Heroes of Galicia, Champions of Spain: Remembering Deportivo’s La Liga Triumph
Deportivo La Coruña went into the 1999/00 season as yesterday’s nearly men. They ended it with a first ever league title, as a band of heroes whom Galicia would never forget.
Sex and Gender in Hitler's Shadow: Dora Ratjen and the 1936 Olympics
Ahead of the 1936 Olympics, Dora Ratjen was one of Nazi Germany's great medal hopes. She failed to live up to her Olympic billing, and soon found her gender and identity under devastating scrutiny.
Game Changers: Jock Stein's Celtic
From 1965 through 1974, Jock Stein's Celtic were the unquestioned kings of the Scottish game, racking up nine titles without reply – as well as a European Cup and numerous other domestic honours.
Lost in the Dunes: The Death of Roger Williamson
A promising young F1 driver, Roger Williamson lost his life in a fiery accident at the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix. More than 40 years on, he remains emblematic of a brutal era of grand prix racing.