47. When, where and how did the Paralympic Games begin?

08/02/21 • 17 min

1 Listener

Ahead of the para events at Tokyo 2020 (in 2021), we investigate the history of the Paralympic Games. Our special Paralympian guest is two-time swimming medalist Peter Hill. Long before it became a Paralympic sport, Peter was also involved in the early development of murderball (yes, that’s a real sport), and he’s dabbled in many more para-sports.

How are some questions for after you listen to today’s episode:

What’s my favourite Paralympic sport?
What does the Greek word “para” mean?
What was the name of the UK hospital which used sports to try to help injured people after World War II?
And what was the name of the Jewish-German doctor who ran the program at that hospital?
What happened on 29 July 1948, the same day as the London 1948 Olympic Games began?
When did the first Winter Paralympic Games happen?

Read industry reviews of Dad’s World War II novels, A Chance Kill and The Slightest Chance, at paulletters.com. Available on Kindle, as well as in paperback. Dad’s first wartime novel, A Chance Kill, is a love-story/thriller based on real events in Poland, Paris, London and Prague. The Slightest Chance follows the remarkable true story of the only escape from Japanese imprisonment by a Western woman during World War II.

Please rate and review us wherever you get podcasts. And share our podcast on social media and recommend it to friends – that's how we'll keep going.

We’ll be back on the first Monday of next month!

Podcast cover art by Molly Austin

All instrumental music is from https://filmmusic.io and composed by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

How are some questions for after you listen to today’s episode:

What’s my favourite Paralympic sport?
What does the Greek word “para” mean?
What was the name of the UK hospital which used sports to try to help injured people after World War II?
And what was the name of the Jewish-German doctor who ran the program at that hospital?
What happened on 29 July 1948, the same day as the London 1948 Olympic Games began?
When did the first Winter Paralympic Games happen?

Please rate and review us wherever you get podcasts. And share our podcast on social media and recommend it to friends – that's how we'll keep going.

We’ll be back on the first Monday of next month!

Podcast cover art by Molly Austin

All instrumental music is from https://filmmusic.io and composed by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Previous Episode

46. The Olympic Games: why did they start, stop and restart?

Today, we’re looking at why the Ancient Olympic Games began and why – after many centuries – they were stopped. And why, over 1,500 years after being stopped, did they restart?

We are delighted to be joined by Mark Selleck from the hit podcast series Casting through Ancient Greece. Mark digs deep to unearth the truth behind the ancient Olympic Games, and James and Dad – who once visited the Olympics Museum in Switzerland – bring us more up-to-date.

And we have gold medal-winning jokes from Dad.

Here are some questions to see how well you understood today’s episode:

When did the Ancient Greek Olympics begin?
Which empire invaded Greece and ended the Olympic Games?
True or false: different Greek cities competed at the ancient Olympic Games
True or false: ancient Greek cities used to fight against each other
Explain how the ancient Olympic Games helped bring peace
Explain how the modern Olympic Games began in the late nineteenth century

Please rate and review us wherever you get podcasts. And share our podcast on social media and recommend it to friends – that's how we'll keep going.

We’ll be back on the first Monday of next month!

Podcast cover art by Molly Austin

All instrumental music is from https://filmmusic.io and composed by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Next Episode

48. Who Invented Cars?

The invention of the car made a major change in the way people got around. We discover that the history of the car goes back to Leonardo and that electric cars have been around for ages! James brings you his research on the history of electric cars, and you'll hear his best car jokes!

How are some questions to see how well you understood today’s episode:

Over 500 years ago, who made designs for a mechanical, wind-up car?
What was built first: a steam-powered car or the Eiffel Tower?
In 1885 who built the first car powered by a gasoline or petrol engine?
Who made assembly lines that could build lots of cars quickly?
Until 1900, what would you move to steer a car?
When was the first fully electric car that could go over 100 kilometres per hour built?