Remembering Four Trailblazers
These legends in their fields died this week. Read their stories.
Dick Fosbury: a legendary flop
Few people actually revolutionize their sport. This high jumper did. His innovative “Fosbury flop” became the sport’s standard jump.
Patricia Shroeder: pioneering House work
As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1973–97), she fought for women’s rights and challenged sexism in Congress—all while wielding a stinging wit.
Pat McCormick: making waves
She made history by winning the springboard and platform diving events at two Olympics. And for fun McCormick performed dives that few even attempted.
Kenzaburō Ōe: writing–and speaking–his mind
The winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize for Literature, this Japanese author was known for his personal works, especially about his intellectually disabled son, and for his activism.
Image: AP
A Full Court Press Across the Nation
For three weeks each spring, the U.S. is gripped by a type of madness: The NCAA basketball tournament becomes a national obsession as more than 60 universities vie to be the last team standing. And this year’s March Madness has some intriguing story lines. Howard University is in for the first time since 1992, but it draws a tough first-round opponent in last year’s champion Jayhawks. Meanwhile, the women’s No. 1 overall seed South Carolina looks to defend their title. But don’t feel bad if your bracket is a bust: the odds of picking every winner with a “perfect bracket” are one in 9.2 quintillion.
Method to the Madness: How the Tournament Was Born
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Every March Madness Winner Since 1939
Gerry Broome/AP Images
How College Basketball Spawned the Fast Break and Zone Defense
© Rick Stewart/Getty Images
The No. 1 Overall Seeds
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Women’s History: Pioneers of Science
Mary Somerville
The work of this British science writer synthesized different scientific disciplines and was highly influential in astronomy and physics.
Katherine Johnson
This ‘hidden figure’ calculated and analyzed the flight paths of spacecraft during her more than three decades with the U.S. space program.
Ada Lovelace
In 1843 she created the first program for a prototype of a digital computer, becoming history’s first computer programmer.
Ellen Ochoa
She logged nearly 1,000 hours in orbit as the first Latina in space, and later was the first Hispanic director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
The first animal domesticated by humans was the dog, possibly as early as 30,000 years ago.
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