Leisure & Nightlife, 10 -BER

When it comes to free time, everyone has his or her own activity of choice. While some may like to repose with a nice game of bridge, poker, or chess, others may find bungee jumping or bullfighting to be more engaging, and still others would rather opt for hiking or archery. Luckily, there's no shortage of leisure activities available for those who have the time, resources, and inclination to pursue them.
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Leisure & Nightlife Encyclopedia Articles By Title

10 Best Hockey Players of All Time
Using algorithms, spreadsheets, statistics, and slide rules, I have determined the best ice hockey players ever.......
10 Great Sports Rivalries
Does familiarity breed contempt? It seems to when rivals compete. Stakes are higher and emotions stronger when......
10 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time
Ah, the crack of the bat. The smell of fresh-cut grass. Munching on Cracker Jack while trying to avoid being splashed......
10 Places in (and around) Paris
Ah, Paris the incomparable! For us it’s soaked in romance. Whether you’ve suddenly found yourself with travel brochures......
10 Queens of the Athletic Realm
Whether it’s on the pitch, the links, the ice, the courts, or the tracks, women have always excelled at sport,......
10 Unusual Sports
Soccer, basketball, baseball, and the like are popular all around the world. Yawn. Looking for something a bit......
100th Anniversary of the PGA’s Founding
The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA of America, or more commonly just PGA) was the brainchild......
2015 Cricket World Cup
The final of the world’s premier one-day international (ODI) cricket contest, the Cricket World Cup, took place......
2016 World Series Preview
The 2016 World Series begins on October 25, and it promises to be one of the most-watched (and most-anxiety-inducing)......
2024 Paris Olympics: Athletes to watch
The Paris Olympics officially began on July 26, 2024. Over the course of the next two weeks, some 10,500 athletes......
2024 Paris Paralympics: Athletes to Watch
This article was first published on July 15, 2024, as a preview of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. The results......
2026 Milano Cortina Olympics: Athletes to Watch
The Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games will be held in northern Italy on February 6–22, 2026. The international......
24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans, probably the world’s best-known automobile race, run annually (with few exceptions) since......
28 Places to See on Your California Road Trip
California has been a hotbed of architectural changes and innovation. From the wacky to the sublime, this list......
32 Notable Women Cricketers
Cricket has been played by all-women teams since at least 1745, when an inter-village game between Bramley and......
3x3 basketball
3x3 basketball, variation of basketball played on a half-court between teams of three players. Pronounced “three-ex-three,”......
4 Questions for Tennis Star Naomi Osaka
Tennis star Naomi Osaka is one of the most popular athletes today. Her affable spirit and dominance in major tournaments—she......
5 Quizzes That Will Tell You Whether You Should Have Been a Scientist
Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Donna Strickland—all of them proved their worth as scientists by winning a Nobel......
6 Unusual Olympic Sports
While it may be difficult to get an event added to the contemporary Olympic roster, the early Games were noted......
7 Canceled or Reintroduced Olympic Sports
Do you ever wonder how long sprint kayaking will remain an Olympic sport? Do you find yourself asking, “Whatever......
7 Quintessential National-Spelling-Bee-Winning Words
Since 1925 American grade-school students (and a few from outside the U.S.) have participated in a national spelling......
7 Quizzes That Will Help You Prepare for Your Next Trip
You’ve made your hotel reservations. You have your airline tickets. You’ve identified your mass-transit options.......
7 Significant Political Events at the Olympic Games
The Olympic Games are a time when many nations come together to celebrate athleticism and mental strength. The......
7 Significant Stadiums
Stadiums have their roots in ancient Greece, where they were a place for footraces. Modern stadiums are home to......
7 Unsportsmanlike Athletes
Sports might bring out the best in some people, but not in everyone. The desire to win has often resulted in athletes......
7 Ways Hosting the Olympics Impacts a City
Hosting the Olympic Games is great for a city, right? Or at least good? Anyway, it’s not a bad thing—or is it?......
7 Wonders of America
It’s almost time for that long-awaited family vacation, and you’re starting to make plans. With so many destination......
8 Incredible Swimming Feats
What are the qualities of a great swimmer? Discipline, toughness, perfect technique, a nutty compulsion to conquer......
8 Olympic Cheating Scandals
While the Olympics have numerous traditions, perhaps one of its most enduring is cheating. Since ancient times,......
acey-deucey
acey-deucey, dice board game, a variant of backgammon, much played in the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and merchant......
Achatz, Grant
Grant Achatz is an American chef whose culinary innovations made him a leader in Modernist cuisine and a trailblazer......
acrobatics
acrobatics, (Greek: “to walk on tip-toe,” or “to climb up”), the specialized and ancient art of jumping, tumbling,......
acrostic
acrostic, short verse composition, so constructed that the initial letters of the lines, taken consecutively, form......
Admiral’s Cup
Admiral’s Cup, racing trophy awarded to the winner of a biennial international competition among teams of sailing......
Adrià, Ferran
Ferran Adrià is a Catalan chef who, as the creative force behind the restaurant El Bulli (closed in 2011), pioneered......
aerobatics
aerobatics, maneuvers in which an aircraft is flown under precise control in unusual attitudes (the position of......
aerobics
aerobics, system of physical conditioning that increases the efficiency of the body’s intake of oxygen, thereby......
Africa Cup of Nations
The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON; also called the African Cup of Nations) is a biennial inter-country football......
African Games
African Games, international athletics (track-and-field) competition sponsored by the International Association......
aikido
aikido, martial art and self-defense system that resembles the fighting methods jujitsu and judo in its use of......
air racing
air racing, sport of racing airplanes, either over a predetermined course or cross-country up to transcontinental......
all fours
all fours, ancestor of a family of card games dating back to 17th-century England and first mentioned in The Complete......
All-America team
All-America team, honorific title given to outstanding U.S. athletes in a specific sport in a given year competing......
All-Star Game
All-Star Game, in American professional baseball, a game between teams of outstanding players chosen from National......
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing, skiing technique that evolved during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the mountainous terrain......
American round
American round, in archery, a target-shooting event consisting of five ends (six arrows each), shot from distances......
America’s Cup
America’s Cup, one of the oldest and best-known trophies in international sailing yacht competition. It was first......
amphitheatre
amphitheatre, freestanding building of round or, more often, oval shape with a central area, the arena, and seats......
anagram
anagram, a word or group of words formed by transposing the letters of another word or group of words, preferably......
ancient Olympic Games
ancient Olympic Games, quadrennial athletic event that was held in Olympia, Greece, from 776 bce to about 393 ce.......
antique
antique, a relic or old object having aesthetic, historic, and financial value. Formerly, it referred only to the......
archery
archery, sport involving shooting arrows with a bow, either at an inanimate target or in hunting. From prehistoric......
Are Olympic Medals Made of Gold?
For athletes who stand on the top step of the Olympic podium and get a gold medal placed around their necks, the......
Are You Ready for Some Fantasy Football?
As reliably as the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano in March, the end of summer sparks a migration of......
arena
arena, central area of an amphitheatre...
art collection
art collection, an accumulation of works of art by a private individual or a public institution. Art collecting......
artistic gymnastics
artistic gymnastics, the most popular and widely recognized discipline of gymnastics that includes events such......
artistic swimming
artistic swimming, exhibition swimming in which the movements of one or more swimmers are synchronized with musical......
Ashes
Ashes, symbol of victory in the usually biennial cricket Test (international) match series between select national......
Asia Cup (cricket)
Asia Cup (cricket), biennial international cricket tournament in which national teams from Asia compete for a continental......
Asian Cup
Asian Cup, Asian football (soccer) competition that takes place every four years and is that continent’s premier......
Asian Games
Asian Games, regional games sponsored by the Olympic Council of Asia for men and women athletes from Asian countries......
association croquet
association croquet, lawn game in which players use wooden mallets to hit balls through a series of wire hoops,......
Astor, Caroline Webster Schermerhorn
Caroline Webster Schermerhorn Astor was the doyenne of American high society in the latter half of the 19th century,......
Atari console
Atari console, video game console released in 1977 by the North American game manufacturer Atari, Inc. Using a......
athletics
athletics, a variety of competitions in running, walking, jumping, and throwing events. Although these contests......
auction bridge
auction bridge, card game that was the third step in the historical progression from whist to bridge whist to auction......
Australian Open
Australian Open, one of the world’s major tennis championships (the first of the four annual Grand Slam events),......
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, a football sport distinctive to Australia that predates other modern football games......
automobile racing
automobile racing, professional and amateur automobile sport practiced throughout the world in a variety of forms......
baccarat
baccarat, casino card game resembling, but simpler than, blackjack. In basic baccarat the house is the bank. In......
backgammon
backgammon, game played by moving counters on a board or table, the object of the game being a race to a goal,......
backpacking
backpacking, recreational activity of hiking while carrying clothing, food, and camping equipment in a pack on......
backstroke
backstroke, swimming stroke performed on the back in which the swimmer alternates raising each arm over the head......
badminton
badminton, court or lawn game played with lightweight rackets and a shuttlecock. The roots of the sport can be......
bagatelle
bagatelle, game, probably of English origin, that is similar to billiards and was probably a modification of it.......
balance beam
balance beam, gymnastics apparatus used in women’s competition. It is a wooden beam 5 meters (16.4 feet) long,......
balkline billiards
balkline billiards, group of billiard games played with three balls (red, white, and white with a spot) on a table......
ball
ball, spherical or ovoid object for throwing, hitting, or kicking in various sports and games. The ball is mentioned......
ballooning
ballooning, unpowered balloon flight in competition or for recreation, a sport that became popular in the 1960s.......
bandy
bandy, a game similar to ice hockey. It is played almost exclusively in the Scandinavian countries, the Baltic......
Bank Craps
Bank Craps, dice game, the variant of Craps most played in Nevada gambling houses. A special table and layout are......
barbooth
barbooth, dice game of Middle Eastern origin, used for gambling; in the United States it is played chiefly by persons......
bareback bronc-riding
bareback bronc-riding, rodeo event in which a cowboy or cowgirl attempts to ride a bucking horse (bronco) for eight......
baseball
baseball, pocket-billiards game, named for the similarity in its scoring system to the American game played with......
baseball pitch clock
The pitch clock, an attempt to speed up Major League Baseball (MLB) games, was implemented for the first time in......
Baseball Positions and Roles
In baseball, teams alternate between being fielders (defense) and batters (offense). On defense, nine players take......
baseball, history of
history of baseball, overview of notable events and people in the history of baseball. Long known as “America’s......
basketball
basketball, game played between two teams, typically of five players each, on a rectangular court. Each team tries......
basketball, history of
history of basketball, notable events and people in the development of basketball since its invention in the late......
Batali, Mario
Mario Batali is an American chef, television personality, author, and restaurateur who was one of the most well-known......
battledore and shuttlecock
battledore and shuttlecock, children’s game played by two persons using small rackets called battledores, which......
BCS
BCS, former arrangement of five American college postseason football games that annually determined the national......
bearbaiting
bearbaiting, the setting of dogs on a bear or a bull chained to a stake by the neck or leg. Popular from the 12th......
Before the E-Reader: 7 Ways Our Ancestors Took Their Reading on the Go
The iPhone was released in 2007. E-books reached the mainstream in the late 1990s. Printed books have been around......
Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes, oldest and longest of the three classic horse races (with the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness......
belote
belote, trick-and-meld card game derived from klaberjass about 1920 and now the most popular card game in France.......
Berlin Marathon
Berlin Marathon, annual 26.2-mile (42.2-km) footrace through the streets of Berlin that traditionally takes place......
Bermuda Race
Bermuda Race, one of the world’s major ocean races for sailing yachts. Originating in 1906, it has been held biennially......

Leisure & Nightlife Encyclopedia Articles By Title