Gilded Age
The era from 1870-1890 is known as the "Gilded" Age, a term coined by Mark Twain, meaning that on the surface of everything life in the U.S. was great, but under a thin layer of THIS lay serious social problems following the Civil War.
What is gold?
In 1875, this famous horse race took place for the very first time.
What is the Kentucky Derby?
This baseball player is believed to be the first to be paid to play. He later went on to sell baseball bats and balls, and owned the Philadelphia Phillies team.
Who was Alfred Reach?
In 1852, a rowing competition on Lake Winnipesaukee, NH, took place between athletes from these 2 colleges. This race is considered to be the first ever intercollegiate athletic competition in the U.S.
What are Harvard and Yale?
THIS son of Irish immigrants was a champion bare-knuckle boxer and earned the nickname the "Boston Strong Boy."
Who was John L. Sullivan?
This communication device was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876.
What is the telephone?
This upper-class, racket sport was introduced to the US in 1874.
What is tennis?
In 1869, this baseball team became the first where the entire team was paid to play. Salaries ranged from $600-$2,000.
Who were the Cincinnati Red Stockings?
This first informal game of American-style football took place in 1869 between teams from these 2 colleges.
What are Rutgers and Princeton?
This ethnic group formed "Sokols" organizations in the U.S. and used gymnastics and mass calesthenic drills to preserve their culture.
Who are the Czechs?
In 1880, Thomas Edison received a patent for this bright idea.
What is the electric light bulb?
This lawn sport allowed middle-class women to participate in sport and mingle with young men in public "without chaperones."
What is croquet?
THIS former ball player and leader of the National League, opened a sporting goods manufacturing company in 1876 in Chicago that sold the "official" baseball and produced "official" guides to the game.
Who was A.G. Spalding?
This college baseball team dominated the 1860s with a 7-year undefeated streak.
What is Harvard?
THIS ethnic group formed Falcon clubs in the US (heavily in the Chicago area) and used gymnastics early on to preserve their heritage but later generations turned to baseball and later bowling.
Who are the Poles?
During the Gilded Age, Andrew Carnegie was a major tycoon of THIS industry.
What is steel?
This amateur sports organization was organized in 1888 and held its first national championships in boxing, fencing, gymnastics, swimming, track and field.
What is the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)?
In an effort to document the American origins of the game of base ball, a committee was formed and determined that the sport was invented in 1839, in Cooperstown, NY, by THIS man.
Who was Abner Doubleday?
This man, also known as the "Father of American Football" was a player and coach at Yale, and helped solidify the "official" rules of American football.
Who was Walter Camp?
This Irish-American baseball player was known for his trickery on the field, his bachelor lifestyle off the field, and being the first ball player to sign autographs and write an autobiography.
Who was Mike "King" Kelly?
In 1890, this state becomes the first to grant women the right to vote.
What is Wyoming?
James Gordon Bennett built THIS exclusive club in Rhode Island where the wealthy could take part in many leisure activities including billiards, dancing, bowling, horse shows, archery, and lawn tennis. This club now houses the International Tennis Museum.
What is the Newport Casino?
In 1867, African-American women formed their own baseball team known as the Dolly Vardens in THIS city.
What is Philadelphia?
The ICAAAA (or IC4A organization) organized in 1876 and took charge of the national collegiate track and field competition. The acronym IC4A stands for THIS.
What is the Inter-Collegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America?
This baseball player was the first African-American to play in major league baseball. He played catcher for the Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association in 1884.
Who was Moses Fleetwood Walker?