Posted
on June 10, 2014
I doubt very much if June 10, 1829, was the date of the very first boat race at a university. But it is the date of the first “University Boat Race.”
Which
is to say, Cambridge vs. Oxford.
That
rivalry may mean nothing to you, but trust me, people in England and
the United Kingdom generally know all about the rivalry between these
two universities.
Actually,
the universities have a lot in common. They are the two oldest
universities in the U.K. – and two of the three oldest surviving
universities in the world. And when I say “old”...well, they're
pretty darned old! They were founded more than 800 years ago.
Between
the two of them (the two are sometimes called “Oxbridge”), they
have produced many of Britain's most important scientists, writers,
and politicians. They still have the top two rankings for academic
reputation in all of the U.K., and in all of the world other than the
U.S. (the top six universities in the world are considered to be
Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, MIT, the University of
California-Berkeley, and Stanford). They both have publishing houses,
botanical gardens, museums, debating societies, science parks, and
theatrical groups.
And
let's not forget their boat clubs!
The
two universities started in rivalry with each other, actually, since Cambridge was
founded by scholars who had fled from a fight with the townsfolk of
Oxford.
And
now for The Race:
Cambridge
student Charles Merivale challenged his friend at Oxford, Charles
Wordsworth, in a boat race in 1829. In that June 10 race, Cambridge lost – and rather
badly, too!
The
race had been held at the town of Henley-on-Thames (Thames being the
river's name). There were a few re-matches held in other places, and
it took a while for the tradition to become an annual event. But
since 1856, the Boat Race has been held in Henley, on the Thames River, every year except during
World Wars I and II.
It's
a race of the blues: Cambridge's color is light blue, and Oxford's is
dark blue. So far, Cambridge has one 81 times, and Oxford 78 times.
There was one year when they finished in a “dead heat” – a
complete and total tie! (But that was back in 1877, before TV cameras
and replays. Modern judges would probably be able to call a winner in
a similarly close race.)
How
exciting is blue-vs.-blue? Well, from 250,000 to 270,000 people watch
from the banks of the river each year, and millions more people watch
it on TV.
After
all, you never know when something exciting like a mutiny (1987) or a
sinking (1912) will happen! Not to mention clashing oars (2001 and
this year!) and a protester stopping the race (2012)!
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on this date:
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