Books in History of Sports series

An attack at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games would produce one of the defining images of international terrorism. The chilling photo of a hooded man peering from a balcony in the Olympic Village would be viewed worldwide as a horrific symbol of global terrorism. The man wearing a mask with cutout slits for his eyes was a member of the Palestinian terrorist group Black September. He and his fellow terrorists had seized 11 members of the Israeli Olympic delegation and were holding them hostage. They would kill them all as the tragedy unfolded. What had been dubbed the “happy Olympics” would be forever remembered as the Munich massacre. The Olympics would never the same.

It was the biggest event in the history of women's sports. And for the Americans, it came down to five kicks. After regulation play and two overtimes in the final game of the 1999 women's World Cup soccer match, the score was 0-0. Penalty kicks would decide the world champion. The Chinese and the Americans would each pick five players. One kick per player. With the score tied 4-4, the Americans had one more chance to win it all. Brandi Chastain was up. If she made her kick, the Americans would win the World Cup. Success! After her winning goal, Chastain dropped to the turf, whipped off her jersey, and screamed with joy. The photo of the triumphant female athlete would circle the globe. Twenty-seven years after Title IX, the world now knew that women's sports had arrived. The victory was more than the end of a soccer game. It was the end of a crusade to prove that women's sports should be taken as seriously as men's. What a win!

Two American athletes made history at the 1968 Summer Olympics, but not on the track. They staged a silent protest against racial injustice. Tommie Smith and John Carlos, gold and bronze medalists in the 200-meter sprint, stood with heads bowed and black-gloved fists raised as the national anthem played during the medal ceremony. The Australian silver medalist wore a human rights badge in support. All three would pay a heavy price for their activism. A Life magazine photograph seen by millions would ensure that the silent protest was remembered, and eventually admired, as a symbol of the battle for equality and civil rights.

• AWESOME FACTS ABOUT THE RUGBY WORLD CUP: I have intentionally selected a specific range of “Rugby World Cup” facts that I feel will not only help children to learn new information but more importantly, remember it. • FUN LEARNING TOOL FOR ALL AGES: This book is designed to capture the imagination of everyone through the use of "WoW" trivia, cool photos and memory recall quiz. • COOL & COLORFUL PICTURES: Each page contains a quality image relating to the subject in question. This helps the reader to match and recall the content. • SHORT QUIZ GAME - POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT: No matter what the score is, everyone's a WINNER! The purpose of the short quiz at the end is to help check understanding, to cement the information and to provide a positive conclusion, regardless of the outcome. Your search for the best “Rugby Union” book is finally over. When you purchase from me today, here are just some of the things you can look forward to….. Amazing and extraordinary “Rugby World Cup” facts. This kind of trivia seems to be one of the few things my memory can actually recall. I'm not sure if it's to do with the shock or the "WoW" factor but for some reason my brain seems to store at least some of it for a later date. A fun way of learning. I've always been a great believer in that whatever the subject, if a good teacher can inspire you and hold your attention, then you'll learn! Now I'm not a teacher but the system I've used in previous publications on Kindle seems to work well, particularly with children. A specific selection of those "WoW" facts combined with some pretty awesome pictures, if I say so myself! Words and images combined to stimulate the brain and absorb the reader using an interactive formula. At the end there is a short "True or False" quiz to check memory recall. Don't worry though, it's a bit of fun but at the same time, it helps to check understanding. Remember, “Everyone’s a Winner! Enjoy ……… Matt.

Jesse Owens’ gold-medal winning feats at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin struck a mighty propaganda blow against Adolf Hitler. The Nazi leader had planned to use the German games as a showcase of supposed Aryan superiority. Instead there was American black athlete Owens on the podium being photographed by Hitler’s personal photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann. In addition, Owens would figure prominently in the groundbreaking film Olympia by Hitler’s favorite director Leni Riefenstahl. Photo and film captured Owens’ stunning success and revealed how wrong Hitler was in his beliefs.