Football history may not appear to have anything to do with the railroad history that I write about in The Iron Horse Chronicles. However, two significant events affecting both football history and railroad history occurred in 1869. Tradition claims that on November 6, 1869, Rutgers and Princeton played the first football game in America. That game more closely resembled rugby, but the game soon evolved into what some believe should be called “gridiron” football. We know, of course, that the rest of the world uses the term football to refer to what Americans call soccer. We Americans know what real football is.
The important historical railroad event that occurred in 1869 was the driving of the golden spike at Promontory Summit in Utah on May 10 of that year. I write about how that momenteous event almost didn’t occur in Golden Spike, the final volume in The Iron Horse Chronicles.
Readers of this blog are aware that I am a regular contributor to Mad About MG History, a blog devoted to helping teachers and librarians identify books and information that will help middle grade students enjoy and appreciate history. My current posting to Mad About MG History presents excellent sources for studying the history of the uniquely American game–Football.
Read “Are You Ready for Some Football History” here: http://madaboutmghistory.blogspot.com/
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