Michael Waters
Michael Waters

Michael Waters

Michael Waters is the author of The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern Sports, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. He has written for the New York Times, The New Yorker, Vox and The Atlantic, among other publications.

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Combat between gladiators in ancient Rome. The vanquished appeals to the spectators for mercy. From Ward and Lock's Illustrated History of the World, published c. 1882.
Ancient Rome

5 Famous Ancient Roman Gladiators

Who were the most renowned Roman gladiators? From slave rebel Spartacus to debauched emperor Commodus, they varied widely.

Zdeněk Koubek
LGBTQ+ History

The 1930s Athlete Who Broke the Gender Barrier

Czech track star Zdeněk Koubek had already set a world record in the women's 800-meter dash, when he announced in 1935 that he was going to be living as a man.

When the Military Expelled LGBTQ Soldiers With 'Blue Discharges'
World War II

When the Military Expelled LGBTQ Soldiers With ‘Blue Discharges’

During WWII and beyond, blue ticket discharges carried powerful stigma—and serious negative consequences.