The first American sports spectacle was an 1823 horse race between North and South

America's first national sports spectacle took place in 1823, when the North and South sent their best horses for a single dramatic race that came to symbolize the regional tensions of a changing nation. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of the Great Match Race, which laid the foundations of modern American thoroughbred racing.
We'll also ponder a parasite's contribution to culture and puzzle over a misinformed criminal.
Show notes
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