GAMERS/GAMES
Beginning as a technological curiosity at a science fair in the 1950s, gaming has grown into one of the world's most profitable entertainment industries, generating billions of dollars annually. The explosion in mobile technology in recent years has transformed the industry and ushered in a new generation of gamers. Indeed, gaming has become so ingrained in contemporary popular culture that even grandmothers are aware of the existence of Angry Birds. More than 42 percent of Americans are gamers, and four out of every five U.S. households own a gaming console.
SPORTS
Sports have been around for at least 3,000 years, according to historical records. In the beginning, sports were frequently associated with war preparation or hunter training, which explains why so many of the earliest games involved the throwing of spears, stakes, and rocks, as well as one-on-one sparring with opponents. In the modern era, sports are often associated with recreation. The Ancient Greeks were the first to introduce organized sports to the world when they held the first Olympic Games in 776 BC, which included events such as foot and chariot races, wrestling, jumping, and discus and javelin throwing. It is not intended to be a comprehensive list, but rather to provide an overview of the origins and evolution of some of today's most popular sporting activities.
EXERCISES
Fitness, as we know it today, appears to be a relatively recent invention – something that got its start in the 1970s with jogging and Jazzercise, to name a couple of examples. Physical activity, on the other hand, has a much longer history than that, dating back to a time when people didn't think of it as a form of exercise, but rather as a part of their everyday lives. Even though they did not have access to the same types of machines, weights, and gyms that we do today, they were in better physical condition than we are. A look back in time at the history of exercise can help us understand why this is happening, how we got to where we are today with our fitness culture, and what we have lost along the way.
