Sport and leisure

Fred Perry in action in the Wimbledon final in 1936. (Photo by Getty Images)

Fred Perry: the icon and the outcast

A depiction of athletes in the torch race, ancient Olympics

What were the ancient Olympics like? Take a visit to the Games of 436 BC

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Eric Liddell winning the 400-metre final at the 1924 Olympic Games

History hero Dan Walker chooses Eric Liddell (1902–45) . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Arrives Japan

Q&A Have the Olympic Games ever been cancelled?

Wood engraving from The Graphic magazine features an illustration of a young man running with the ball during a football match on a grassy field, late 19th century. (Photo by Stock Montage/Getty Images)

5 facts about the history of football

A scene from an early rugby union game

The history of rugby: when was the sport invented?

British from the 11th Brigade 4th division and German soldiers at Ploegsteert in Belgium on Christmas Day 1914. (Photo by The Art Archive/Alamy)

First World War

Did the First World War Christmas truce football match really happen?

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Robert Colls discusses the importance of sport to English society over the past 200 years. (Image by Getty Images)

England’s sporting obsession . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Even the ancient Egyptian played board games – this fresco from the tomb of Nefertari shows the queen playing Senet

8 of the best historical board games for history lovers

Chess players in the 14th century

Ancient board games: which ones did people play for fun in the past?

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Ed Caesar on the HistoryExtra podcast.

An extraordinary Everest adventure . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Tom Cribb lands a punch on Tom Molineaux while Molineaux's trainer, Bill Richmond, looks on. Molineaux got the upper hand in the pair's first fight – which ended in controversy when a mob stormed the ring – but was defeated in this, the 1811 rematch. (Edward Gooch/Edward Gooch/Getty Images)

The ‘Black Terror’: the story of Britain’s first black sports star

Sunbathers on Blackpool beach in 1954. (Credit: John Chillingworth/Getty Images)

Caravans, spa towns and seaside resorts: a brief history of British holidays

A view of Mount Everest

Mystery on Everest: did Mallory and Irvine reach the summit in 1924?

Crowds flock to the beach at Hastings in August 1938. (Photo by Photo12/UIG/Getty Images)

Summer holiday revolution: when were Britons first allowed to take paid holiday?