Support provided by:
The Case:
A pair of sports tickets from 1927 are discovered in a used book.
The tickets are for a basketball game featuring Jim Thorpe, the legendary Native American athlete who was known for his 1912 Olympic gold medals and Herculean strengths as a football and baseball player.
Thorpe’s sporting legend looms large, but is this ticket evidence of a chapter of his career almost completely forgotten by history... as a professional basketball player?
History Detectives goes to New York and Pennsylvania to investigate the life of a sports legend and uncover some harsh truths about racism in the sports world.
Related Content
Related Links
Explore
-
Also with Wes Cowan
3D Cuban Missile Crisis
Did this portable projection screen help save the Free World?
-
Also in Emerging Modern America: 1890-1930
Birth Control Box
Could this unusual wooden box be an early contraceptive device?
-
Also in Season 3
Unwed Mother's Home
Is this small medallion enough information to help a woman find her birth parents?
-
Also with Wes Cowan
Lookout Mountain Painting
What can this painting tell us about a turning point in the Civil War?
-
Also in Season 3
Revolutionary War Cannon
Is this the cannon that ignited the first battle of the Revolutionary War?
-
Also with Wes Cowan
Manhattan Project Letter
Did this letter help persuade President Harry S. Truman to change policy in the post war era?
Comments
This is a place for opinions, comments, questions and discussion; a place where viewers of History Detectives can express their points of view and connect with others who value history. We ask that posters be polite and respectful of all opinions. History Detectives reserves the right to delete comments that don’t conform to this conduct. We will not respond to every post, but will do our best to answer specific questions, or address an error.
Anyone wishing to submit an artifact for investigation should do so through Submit a Story.
- Submit your StoryDo you have an object from an Emerging Modern America?
- Latest CommentWhat is this glorifying the firearm (which is a semi-automatic by the way) of a criminal? (3 days ago)
- Twitterremember this investigation with @TukufuZuberi @elyseluray Tonight they reunite! Let us know your thoughts! @PBS http://t.co/4KMnc27K (7 months ago)
- FacebookSome wisdom as the day draws to a close. Like my page for more conversations. Enjoy your evening. Peace, Tukufu. (1 day ago)
Technique:
Feature:
Feature:
Feature: