Leisure & Nightlife, IND-NAU
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.
Leisure & Nightlife Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Indianapolis 500, U.S. automobile race held annually from 1911, except for the war years 1917–18 and 1942–45. The......
interval training, method of competitive training in which rest and exercise intervals of controlled duration are......
Common wisdom holds that it is unsafe to swim after eating unless one waits for some prescribed period of time—usually......
Isthmian Games, in ancient Greece, a festival of athletic and musical competitions in honour of the sea god Poseidon,......
jacks, game of great antiquity and worldwide distribution, now played with stones, bones, seeds, filled cloth bags,......
jai alai, ball game of Basque origin played in a three-walled court with a hard rubber ball that is caught and......
Japan Series, in baseball, a seven-game play-off between champions of the two professional Japanese baseball leagues,......
javelin throw, athletics (track-and-field) sport of throwing a spear for distance, included in the ancient Greek......
jigsaw puzzle, any set of varied, irregularly shaped pieces that, when properly assembled, form a picture or map.......
jockey club, organization involved with or regulating horse-racing activities, often on a national level. The Jockey......
jogging, form of running at an easy pace, particularly popular from the 1960s in the United States. There, an estimated......
joust, western European mock battle between two horsemen charging each other with levelled lances, each attempting......
judo, system of unarmed combat, now primarily a sport. The rules of the sport of judo are complex. The objective......
jujitsu, form of martial art and method of fighting that makes use of few or no weapons and employs holds, throws,......
jump rope, children’s game played by individuals or teams with a piece of rope, which may have handles attached......
jump rope rhyme, any of innumerable chants and rhymes used by children, traditionally girls, to accompany the game......
kabaddi, game played between two teams on opposite halves of a field or court. Individual players take turns crossing......
karate, unarmed martial-arts discipline employing kicking, striking, and defensive blocking with arms and legs.......
karting, driving and racing miniature, skeleton-frame, rear-engine automobiles called karts, or GoKarts. The sport......
Thomas Keller is an American chef and restaurateur whose restaurant the French Laundry, in Yountville, California,......
kendo, traditional Japanese style of fencing with a two-handed wooden sword, derived from the fighting methods......
keno, gambling game played with cards (tickets) bearing numbers in squares, usually from 1 to 80. A player marks......
Kentucky Derby, the most prestigious American horse race, established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday......
kho-kho, traditional Indian sport, a form of tag, that is one of the oldest forms of outdoor sport, dating back......
klaberjass, two-player trick-taking card game, of Dutch origin but especially popular in Hungary (as klob) and......
knitting, production of fabric by employing a continuous yarn or set of yarns to form a series of interlocking......
Knott’s Berry Farm, the oldest and one of the largest theme parks in the United States. It is located in Buena......
korfball, game similar to netball and basketball, invented in 1901 by an Amsterdam schoolmaster, Nico Broekhuysen.......
kottabos, one of the earliest known drinking games, a staple at aristocratic banquets (called symposia) of the......
Ray Kroc was an American restaurateur and a pioneer of the fast-food industry with his worldwide McDonald’s enterprise.......
kung fu, a martial art, both a form of exercise with a spiritual dimension stemming from concentration and self-discipline......
kyūdō, (“the technique of the bow”), traditional Japanese form of archery, closely associated with Zen Buddhism.......
Königsberg bridge problem, a recreational mathematical puzzle, set in the old Prussian city of Königsberg (now......
lacrosse, competitive sport, modern version of the North American Indian game of baggataway, in which two teams......
Emeril Lagasse is an American celebrity chef, author, and television personality who by the early 21st century......
Meyer Lansky was one of the most powerful and richest of U.S. crime syndicate chiefs and bankers. He had major......
leisure, freedom provided by the cessation of coerced activities, particularly time free from disagreeable work......
Dan Leno was a popular English entertainer who is considered the foremost representative of the British music hall......
libero, player on an indoor volleyball team who serves as a defensive specialist and is not allowed to serve or......
When it comes to the Olympics, one athlete has made the biggest splash. American swimmer Michael Phelps is the......
The Ballon d’Or is an annual award for football (soccer) players presented by the French magazine France Football,......
This is a list of notable chess players ordered alphabetically by country of origin or residence. The years of......
Formula One (F1) is the most prestigious international open-wheel, single-seat automobile racing competition in......
Which NBA player has won the most titles? The answer is legendary center Bill Russell, who won 11 NBA championships......
Every summer a new cohort of professional basketball players joins the ranks of the NBA through a draft. Prospects......
When sports fans look back and remember the Olympics of years gone by, it is not only their favorite sports that......
Athletes competing in the Winter Olympics have wowed audiences with their amazing feats on ice and snow since the......
logic puzzle, puzzle requiring the use of the process of logical deduction to solve. Many challenging questions......
London Bridge, children’s singing game in which there are several players (usually eight or more), two of whom......
London Marathon, annual 26.2-mile (42.2-km) footrace through the streets of London that takes place in April. The......
London Prize Ring rules, set of rules governing bareknuckle boxing, which were adopted in 1838 and revised in 1853.......
long jump, sport in athletics (track-and-field) consisting of a horizontal jump for distance. It was formerly performed......
long-distance running, in athletics (track and field), footraces ranging from 3,000 metres through 10,000, 20,000,......
Lonsdale Belt, British boxing award originated in 1909 by Lord Lonsdale, president of the National Sporting Club.......
loo, gambling card game often mentioned in English literature. The name derives from the French lanturlu, the refrain......
lottery, procedure for distributing something (usually money or prizes) among a group of people by lot or by chance.......
Sam Loyd was an American puzzle maker who was best known for composing chess problems and games, including Parcheesi.......
The Ladies Professional Golf Association’s (LPGA) Evian Championship begins on September 10 at the Evian Resort......
ludi publici, (Latin: “public games”), ancient Roman spectacles, primarily consisting of chariot races and various......
lugeing, form of small-sled racing. Luge sledding is distinctive from bob and skeleton sledding in that the sled......
Maccabiah Games, international games held in Palestine (later Israel) from 1932, sponsored by the World Maccabi......
magic square, square matrix often divided into cells, filled with numbers or letters in particular arrangements......
mah-jongg, game of Chinese origin, played with tiles, or pais, that are similar in physical description to those......
marathon, long-distance footrace first held at the revival of the Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. It commemorates......
marble, small, hard ball that is used in a variety of children’s games and is named after the 18th-century practice......
March Madness, informal term that refers to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men’s......
It’s March Madness! But don’t forget about the mascots. Since Yale University introduced the first collegiate mascot,......
Marquess of Queensberry rules, code of rules that most directly influenced modern boxing. Written by John Graham......
J. Willard Marriott was an American businessman who founded one of the largest hotel and restaurant organizations......
martial art, any of various fighting sports or skills, mainly of East Asian origin, such as kung fu (Pinyin gongfu),......
Masters Tournament, invitational golf tournament held annually since 1934 from Thursday through Sunday during the......
Bat Masterson was a gambler, saloonkeeper, lawman, and newspaperman who made a reputation in the old American West.......
matador, in bullfighting, the principal performer who works the capes and usually dispatches the bull with a sword......
Elsa Maxwell was an American columnist, songwriter, and professional hostess, famous for her lavish and animated......
Ghislaine Maxwell is a former British and American socialite who was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking of underage......
McDonald’s Corporation (McDonald’s) is one of the world’s largest and most recognized fast-food chains, known for......
Melbourne Cup, annual horse race, first held in 1861, that is the most important Australian Thoroughbred race of......
College football is all about rivalries, often colorfully nicknamed or contested for trophies. There’s the Old......
middle-distance running, in athletics (track and field), races that range in distance from 800 metres (roughly......
midget-car racing, form of automobile racing, popular in the United States, in which miniature front-engine racing......
The Mille Miglia remains the most famous Italian road race for automobiles, even though it was last contested in......
Miss America, competition held annually in which young women representing each of the U.S. states, as well as the......
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a hybrid combat sport incorporating techniques from boxing, wrestling, judo, jujitsu,......
Mixue Bingcheng, commonly known as Mixue, is a Chinese fast-food company specializing in ice cream, tea-based drinks,......
Monopoly, real-estate board game for two to eight players, in which the player’s goal is to remain financially......
Imagine you are a contestant on a game show. You are presented with three closed doors. Behind one is a car—the......
Helen Morgan was an American actress and singer whose talent was shown to greatest effect in the 1920s and ’30s......
motocross, form of motorcycle racing in which cyclists compete on a course marked out over open and often rough......
motor-paced race, in bicycle racing, a form of competition in which each bicycle racer competes behind a motorbike......
motorcycle racing, the recreational and competitive use of motorcycles, a sport practiced by both professionals......
motorcycle trial, either of two forms of motorcycle competition based on point systems, as opposed to a race for......
mountaineering, the sport of attaining, or attempting to attain, high points in mountainous regions, mainly for......
Mr. Olympia, annual bodybuilding competition sanctioned by the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation......
muggins, domino game similar to the regular drawing game except for the rule that if a player can play a piece......
mumblety-peg, game of skill played with a knife, usually a jackknife. The game was played as early as the 17th......
mêlée, ancient and medieval game, a predecessor of modern football (soccer), in which a round or oval object, usually......
nap, gambling card game played throughout northern Europe under various names and guises. It reached England in......
National Invitation Tournament (NIT), collegiate basketball competition initiated in the United States in 1938......
National Spelling Bee, spelling bee held annually in the Washington, D.C., area that serves as the culmination......
naumachia, in ancient Rome, a mimic sea battle and the specially constructed basin in which such a battle sometimes......