Leisure & Nightlife, BAS-COC
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
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 âAmericaâs......
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, childrenâs 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 worldâs major ocean races for sailing yachts. Originating in 1906, it has been held biennially......
bezique
bezique, trick-and-meld card game related to pinochle, both of which derive from the 19th-century French game of......
biathlon
biathlon, winter sport combining cross-country skiing with rifle marksmanship. The sport is rooted in the skiing......
Biggest FIFA World Cup Controversies: Battle of Santiago, Zinedine Zidaneâs Headbutt, and More
The FIFA World Cup is defined not just by great goals and inspiring performances but also by drama, both on and......
billiards
billiards, any of various games played on a rectangular table with a designated number of small balls and a long......
Billie Jean King Cup
Billie Jean King Cup, trophy representing the womenâs amateur team-tennis championship of the world, inaugurated......
bingo
bingo, game of chance using cards on which there is a grid of numbers, a row of which constitute a win when they......
Bird-watching
Bird-watching, the observation of live birds in their natural habitat, a popular pastime and scientific sport that......
biritch
biritch, card game similar to bridge whist and a forerunner of auction and contract bridge. Apparently developed......
birling
birling, outdoor sport of the North American lumberjack. Its origin can be traced to the spring log drives of eastern......
blackjack
blackjack, gambling card game popular in casinos throughout the world. Its origin is disputed, but it is certainly......
blindmanâs buff
blindmanâs buff, childrenâs game played as early as 2,000 years ago in Greece. The game is variously known in Europe:......
Blondin
Blondin was a French tightrope walker and acrobat who owed his celebrity and fortune to his feat of crossing the......
BMX
BMX, cycle sport in which participants ride bicycles that are specialized for performance on dirt tracks built......
bobsledding
bobsledding, the sport of sliding down an ice-covered natural or artificial incline on a four-runner sled, called......
bocce
bocce, Italian bowling game, similar to bowls and boules. Bocce is especially popular in Piedmont and Liguria and......
Bocuse, Paul
Paul Bocuse was a French chef and restaurateur known for introducing and championing a lighter style of cooking.......
bodybuilding
bodybuilding, a regimen of exercises designed to enhance the human bodyâs muscular development and promote general......
Bodyline
Bodyline refers to a bowling tactic in which short-pitched fast deliveries are directed at battersâ bodies while......
Bonaparte, Elizabeth Patterson
Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte was one of Americaâs first international celebrities, known for her fashionable clothing,......
book collecting
book collecting, acquisition of books, not only as texts but also as objects desirable for such qualities as their......
bookmaking
bookmaking, gambling practice of determining odds and receiving and paying off bets on the outcome of sporting......
bookplate
bookplate, a label with a printed design intended to indicate ownership, usually pasted inside the front cover......
Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon, footrace from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, U.S., to the Back Bay section of Boston, a distance of......
boules
boules, French ball game, similar to bowls and boccie. It is thought to have originated about 1910, but it is based......
bouts-rimés
bouts-rimĂ©s, (French: ârhymed endsâ), rhymed words or syllables to which verses are written, best known from a......
bowling
bowling, game in which a heavy ball is rolled down a long, narrow lane toward a group of objects known as pins,......
bowls
bowls, outdoor game in which a ball (known as a bowl) is rolled toward a smaller stationary ball, called a jack.......
box lacrosse
box lacrosse, game, a variant of lacrosse played principally in Canada during the spring and autumn and occasionally......
boxing
boxing, sport, both amateur and professional, involving attack and defense with the fists. Boxers usually wear......
- Introduction
- Bare Knuckle, Rules, History
- Queensberry Rules, Gloves, Rounds
- Legal Status, Rules, Regulations
- Amateur, Rules, Scoring
- Rules, Techniques, History
- International Rules, Techniques, & History
- Women, History, Rules
- Weight Classes, Divisions, Rules
- Ring Rules, Equipment
- Styles, Techniques, Defense
breaststroke
breaststroke, swimming stroke performed lying face down in the water in which swimmers use a wide sweeping arm......
bridge
bridge, card game derived from whist, through the earlier variants bridge whist and auction bridge. The essential......
bridge whist
bridge whist, card game popular from the 1890s through 1910, and the second step in the historical progression......
bridle
bridle, headgear by which a horse or other burden-bearing or pulling animal is governed, consisting of bit, headstall,......
Britannicaâs Football (Soccer) Set Piece Game
Have you ever seen a football swerve through the air and sail into the net past a desperately diving goalkeeper?......
Britannicaâs Online Curling Game
The venerable but quirky game of curling has enthralled audiences of the Winter Games since it was added to the......
British Amateur Championship
British Amateur Championship, golf tournament held annually in Great Britain for male amateurs with handicaps of......
British Open
British Open, one of the worldâs four major golf tournamentsâwith the Masters Tournament, the U.S. Open, and the......
bull riding
bull riding, rodeo event in which the contestant attempts to ride a bucking bull for eight seconds while holding......
bullfighting
bullfighting, the national spectacle of Spain and many Spanish-speaking countries, in which a bull is ceremoniously......
bungee jumping
bungee jumping, sport in which the jumper falls from a high place with a rubber (âbungeeâ) cord attached both to......
Burger King Corporation
Burger King Corporation, restaurant company specializing in flame-broiled fast-food hamburgers. It is the second......
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, privately owned zoo and amusement park opened in 1959 by Anheuser-Busch, Inc., in Tampa,......
bushmenâs carnival
bushmenâs carnival, exhibition and contest of cattle herding and related skills, the Australian equivalent of the......
butterfly
butterfly, swimming stroke in which the arms are brought forward above the water and the legs kick in unison in......
buzkashī
buzkashī, a rugged equestrian game, played predominantly by Turkic peoples in northern Afghanistan, in which riders......
caber, tossing the
tossing the caber, a Scottish athletic event consisting in throwing a âcaber,â a straight, approximately 17-foot-......
cafeteria
cafeteria, self-service restaurant in which customers select various dishes from an open-counter display. The food......
café
café, small eating and drinking establishment, historically a coffeehouse, usually featuring a limited menu; originally......
calf roping
calf roping, rodeo event in which a lasso-wielding cowboy or cowgirl moves from horseback to foot in pursuit of......
Calgary Stampede
Calgary Stampede, exhibition and stampede (rodeo) held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, annually since 1923. The world-famous......
calisthenics
calisthenics, free body exercises performed with varying degrees of intensity and rhythm, which may or may not......
camel racing
camel racing, sport of running camels at speed, with a rider astride, over a predetermined course. The sport is......
camping
camping, recreational activity in which participants take up temporary residence in the outdoors, usually using......
Canada Games
Canada Games, national sporting event held every two years in Canada, both the Winter and Summer Games being held......
Canadian-American Challenge Cup
Canadian-American Challenge Cup, trophy of a series of automobile races that took place annually from 1966 to 1975......
canasta
canasta, card game of the rummy family, developed in Buenos Aires, Arg., and Montevideo, Uruguay, in the 1940s......
candlepins
candlepins, bowling game played on a standard tenpin lane with slender, cylindrical pins about 15 inches (38 cm)......
cane fencing
cane fencing, (French canne), the art of defending oneself with a walking stick, developed in France by the 16th......
canoeing
canoeing, the use for sport, recreation, or competition of a canoe, kayak, or foldboat, all small, narrow, lightweight......
canter
canter, a three-beat collected gait of a horse during which one or the other of the forelegs and both hind legs......
capoeira
capoeira, dancelike martial art of Brazil, performed to the accompaniment of call-and-response choral singing and......
Capone, Al
Al Capone was an American Prohibition-era gangster who dominated organized crime in Chicago from 1925 to 1931 and......
card game
card game, game played for pleasure or gambling (or both) with one or more decks of playing cards. Games using......
career Grand Slam singles champions
Every year the four major tournaments of professional tennisâthe Australian Open, the French Open, the U.S. Open,......
Carom billiards
Carom billiards, game played with three balls (two white and one red) on a table without pockets, in which the......
casino
casino, card game for two to four players, best played with two. A 52-card deck is used. When two play, the dealer......
casino
casino, originally, a public hall for music and dancing; by the second half of the 19th century, a collection of......
Catan
Catan is a multiplayer strategy board game in which players compete to settle the fictional island of Catan and......
catch-as-catch-can wrestling
catch-as-catch-can wrestling, basic wrestling style in which nearly all holds and tactics are permitted in both......
CBGB
New York Cityâs proto-punk new wave was a downtown thing, crawling out of the damp stonework in yet-to-be-gentrified......
charade
charade, originally a kind of riddle, probably invented in France during the 18th century, in which a word or phrase......
chariot racing
chariot racing, in the ancient world, a popular form of contest between small, two-wheeled vehicles drawn by two-,......
Cheating Death on Everest
Mount Everestâthe highest point in the worldâgoes by many names. In Sanskrit and Nepali, it is called Sagarmatha;......
checkers
checkers, board game, one of the worldâs oldest games. Checkers is played by two persons who oppose each other......
cheerleading
cheerleading, team activity in which elements of dance and acrobatics are combined with shouted slogans in order......
chemin de fer
chemin de fer, French card game played mainly in European and Latin American casinos. The game is played by up......
chess
chess, one of the oldest and most popular board games, played by two opponents on a checkered board with specially......
chess piece
chess piece, game piece used for playing chess. Chess pieces are distinguished by appearance and made of rigid......
Chicago Marathon
Chicago Marathon, annual 26.2-mile (42.2-km) footrace through Chicago that is held each October. Along with the......
childrenâs game
childrenâs game, any of the amusements and pastimes of children that may involve spontaneous, unstructured activity,......
Chinese chess
Chinese chess, strategy board game played in China from about ad 700. Like orthodox chess, Chinese chess is believed......
chuck-a-luck
chuck-a-luck, dice game of medieval origin that is related to grand hazard. It is played with three dice and a......
Churchill, Jennie Jerome
Jennie Jerome Churchill was an American-born society figure, remembered chiefly as the wife of Lord Randolph Churchill......
Clout shooting
Clout shooting, in archery, long-distance shooting at a circular target laid out on the ground, a form of competition......
cocked hat
cocked hat, bowling game played on a standard tenpin lane with three tenpins and a duckpin ball (4â5 inches [10â12.5......
cockfighting
cockfighting, the sport of pitting gamecocks to fight and the breeding and training of them for that purpose. The......