Historical Tidbits Archives – Page 6 of 53

July 31, 2024July 31, 2024

Turners, Sokols, and the Swedish Cure: Gymnastics History & the Games

Photos of group yoga, the US basic training course, and the Rockettes courtesy of Clipart, wikimedia, and Britannica.

What do yoga, obstacle courses, and the Rockettes have in common? They are each similar to exercise styles that were the precursor to modern competitive gymnastics.

You probably have all the details you need to know about the history of Simone Biles, the GOAT of women’s gymnastics. You’ve seen her parents, heard about what she did at age seven, know her family history, medical history, and her husband’s shoe size. You know how she got here. But how did gymnastics get here into the Olympics? It may surprise you to know that gymnastics emerged from multiple paths, all of which had cultural and philosophical movements attached to them.

July 26, 2024July 27, 2024

The Paradoxical International Parade of Nations

Greece comes first, even if the nation of Greece bears little resemblance to the vision of ancient Olympia. Photo from Newscaststudio.com.

This is ultimately a story about flag dipping–or the lack thereof–and how the American media lied about it, until it turned into yet another “Land of the Free” myth based on false information. But in order to get there, we have to dig into another subject first, the underlying paradox of the Games.

July 4, 2024July 27, 2024

Confused about Independence? Parade Anyway!

One of many Norman Rockwell illustrations that tweak American values. Image from Saturday Evening Post.

Maybe the United States was always just people who liked to party! Looking at the history of why this day is celebrated, July 4th in particular, I came across many pictures of people marching, making speeches, and eating, but also so many claims that were kinda sorta not quite right. Maybe it’s buried in our history (oh, in everybody’s history) to blur those pesky details and bring on the fireworks.