honors world history assignments

SST120 - Honors World History 1

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• Semester/0.5 Credits
• Social Studies

Learning Recommendations :   It is strongly recommended, but not required, that students considering this course have at least a B+ in their current Social Studies class. Students should be prepared for increased quantity and depth of reading and writing assignments.

General Description : Honors World History 1 is a semester-long Social Studies class that is a study of the geography, politics, economics, society and history of the world. Honors World History I addresses the broad patterns and terms that students will need to know and use. It will focus on the historical foundations of world history from prehistory to the 16th century. Honors World Studies 1 is designed for students who wish to challenge themselves with reading, writing, and assessments. Pace and depth are more challenging in Honors World History 1, with the intention of preparing students to take an AP level social studies course during their high school career.

• Historical thinking and analysis skills
• Geographic luck and patterns of migration
• Culture, race and racism
• Development of religious thought
• Government and economic systems
• Expansion and collapse of ancient non-European civilizations
• Encounter, exploration and cultural exchange

Strategies :  The approaches taken in this course should include but not be limited to collaborative and/or cooperative learning groups, inquiry-based instruction, project-based learning experiences, primary source analysis and lectures, film and readings.

Homework:   In order to offer a rigorous honors course, outside reading, project-based research, and writing is required. Students should expect between 2-3 nights a week of outside work.

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Other Programs

• Issaquah Summer School Program
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Equal Opportunity

• The Issaquah School District provides equal opportunity in its programs, activities, and employment.

World History Honors

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Grade Levels:

High School

Course Length:

Two Semesters

Course Pathway:

In World History, students learn to see the world today as a product of a process that began thousands of years ago when humans became a speaking, travelling, and trading species.  Through historical analysis grounded in primary sources, case studies, and research, students investigate the continuity and change of human culture, governments, economic systems, and social structures.   Students build and practice historical thinking skills, learning to connect specific people, places, events and ideas to the larger trends of world history. In critical reading activities, feedback-rich instruction, and application-oriented assignments, students develop their capacity to reason chronologically, interpret and synthesize sources, identify connections between ideas, and develop well-supported historical arguments.  Students write throughout the course, responding to primary sources and historical narratives through journal entries, essays and visual presentations of social studies content.  In discussion activities, students respond to the position of others while staking and defending their own claim.  The course's rigorous instruction is supported with relevant materials and active learning opportunities to ensure students at all levels can master the key historical thinking skills. This course is built to state standards.

Honors World

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• Research Paper

Honors World History

Course introduction.

This Honors Tenth Grade World History course is designed for students who are serious about preparing to attend a college or university after graduation. This course will chart the progression of events in sequence that led to the development of the modern world today. This course strictly adheres to the guidelines as outlined in the California State Framework and assumes that students have met all previous standards in World History and English. The intent is to provide students with an understanding of contemporary events that will give them the necessary background information to make informed decisions as participants in the democratic process. During the course of the studies in this class, students will be required to demonstrate the knowledge and understanding that they are acquiring.

• Course Syllabus

Course Prerequisites

Students must have achieved an A in a prior history course or obtain a recommendation from their last history teacher.

Course Objectives

• Students will demonstrate proficiency in retaining and analyzing the historical knowledge outlined by the State History-Social Science Standards for 10th Grade.
• Students will demonstrate proficiency in writing skills applicable to the study of history at the level proscribed by the State English Standards for 10th Grade.
• Students will demonstrate proficiency in informational literacy and technology skills to include research skills, word processing and presentation software.

Mandated Educational Standards

Click on a link below to open up each set of standards in PDF format.

• UC Honors Level Requirements
• UC A-G Requirements for Social Studies
• California History Content Standards
• California Standards for Reading/Writing in English and Social Studies

Semester One

Units Covered: Click on the menu items to the left to see the unit plans.

• Unit I Rise of Democratic Ideals- This section will review the roots of democracy in Greece and Rome through the Enlightenment.
• Unit II Age of Revolution- We will compare the revolutions in American and France focusing on the difference in outcomes.
• Unit III Industrialization- The focus of this unit will be on the economic and social effects of the Industrial Revolution using England as an example.
• Unit IV Imperialism - We will examine the fight for resources, prestige, and empire by studying the effects on China, Africa, and India.
• Unit V The Road to War - We will examine the rivalries that led to World War I and the horror of trench warfare.

Semester Two

Units Covered: Click on the menu items to the left to see the unit plans.

• Unit VI Rise of Dictators - This section will examine the far-reaching consequences of WW I which led to the Great depression and the rise of dictatorships.
• Unit VII WWII and the Holocaust - We will examine the events and policies that led to WWII and the scope and consequences of the war. We will also examine the conditions and policies of racial purity that led to the genocide of the Jews of Europe.
• Unit VIII - The Cold War - The focus of this unit will be on polarization of the world into communist vs. capitalists with a focus on the effects around the world.
• Unit IX The Developing World - We will look at the problems faced by developing countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.
• Unit X Contemporary World - This unit is student centered and is a culmination of individual research on topics related to the progress of globalization, advances in technology, international organizations, and the major issues currently facing the world today.

Assignments:

• Daily in-class work and homework in the form of individual and group work that will culminate in an average of 5 assignments a week. Homework will “average” about 2 assignments a week.
• Frequent quizzes of material covered.
• Research papers
• Long term projects

Semester 2: Modern Issues Research Project

In groups, students will develop a presentation on an issue facing the modern world.

Materials Needed:

These materials will be required for participation in this course and the student must have them by the end of the first week of class. They will then be required to bring them to class every day.

• 1 three-ring binder
• A standard size notebook (not the spiral type)
• Pencils and pens (standard blue or black ink only)

*For students who are lacking in funds, some of the materials can be provided on a case-by-case basis. Materials will also be made available for purchase in class with funds going to the upkeep for the computer lab.

Grading will be based upon an objective point system. I do not give grades. You earn them.

F=   59% and below

Grades are posted and displayed on the web through Aeries.

Late Assignments:

Late assignments will NOT be accepted, unless due to absence. If a student misses an assignment due to absence, they will have the time allowed for the assignment starting from the day they receive it, after that it will not be accepted. It is the responsibility of the student to get the work missed on the next day of attendance. Make up work at the end of the grading period for missed assignments will not be allowed for credit.

Plagiarism:

Plagiarism is defined as the use of someone else’s ideas or work without following fair use guidelines, proper citations, or obtaining permission. Plagiarism is a crime and any student caught plagiarizing material for any class project will receive an automatic F for the project. Repeat offenders will be referred to the administration for expulsion proceedings.

Behavior Standards: 

• Be respectful to everyone.
• No swearing or put downs
• No electronic devices are to be used during class time. I see it I take it.
• No grooming is allowed.
• The teacher’s area is off limits.
• The teacher, not the bell, will dismiss students at the end of class.
• No one leaves until the classroom is clean and orderly.
• No food, drink, or gum allowed in class. (Except water)
• No hats, bandanas, etc. are to be worn in class.
•  You make a mess, you clean it up.

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World History Project

Teach a standards-aligned world history course that connects the past to the present, with an eye to the future.

Four Unique Courses for Teaching World History

All three World History Project (WHP) courses are ideal for high-school world history in preparation for AP ® , college, and career. Our WHP AP course is designed to meet the needs of those teaching AP ® World History: Modern.

WHP Origins to the Present

A world history course that begins at the origins of human existence and continues through the rise and fall of empires, the first global age, and the birth of the modern world.

WHP 1200 to the Present

This course begins just before the Columbian Exchange and the first transoceanic connections and continues through industrialization and globalization to today.

WHP 1750 to the Present

Starting at the Industrial Revolution, this course explores the transformations that shaped our modern world—from liberal and national revolutions through imperialism, world wars, and globalization.

World History Project AP®

Designed for AP ® World History: Modern students.

Why World History Project Is Different

Our world history courses are infinitely adaptable, ideal for high school, free, open, and online.

Precisely aligned: Carefully aligned to the AP® World History: Modern Course and Exam Description (CED), including themes, periodization, topics, and historical developments.

Free for everyone: We designed this course to eliminate barriers for teachers and students alike. All content is online and can easily be downloaded for offline use.

Grounded in research and best practices: OER Project works with teachers, scholars, and learning scientists to incorporate and share the latest learning insights and approaches.

Not your average AP course: Every lesson incorporates more fun than your average AP course. There are ample opportunities to increase student engagement with the rigorous curriculum through different course materials.

Assessments that build confidence: DBQs, LEQs, and SAQs specifically created for the course. Opportunities for formative assessment throughout, particularly within practice progressions.

Built-in professional development and community: Learning options include self-paced and real-time opportunities to learn and connect with fellow educators.

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The Heroic WWI Homing Pigeons That Saved Countless Lives

By: Christopher Klein

Updated: May 17, 2024 | Original: May 9, 2024

Flying aces in their warplanes were not the only air force that took flight during World War I . As many as 500,000 homing pigeons accompanied soldiers, sailors and pilots into battle, delivering military intelligence and distress messages that saved thousands of lives. Some birds earned hero status for fulfilling their missions—even after being gravely injured. “Cher Ami,” for one , received the French military’s highest honor. “President Wilson” is enshrined at the Pentagon .

The First World War ushered in the battlefield use of the radio and telephone, but these new technologies proved unreliable in trench warfare. Artillery bombardments and sabotage easily severed wires leading from the trenches. And signalers hauling large coils of wire made easy targets for snipers.

The Great War

Two-Night Event, The Great War Begins Monday, May 27 at 8/7c and streams the next day

When modern communication methods failed, militaries turned to time-tested homing pigeons to navigate bombardments, smoke and poor weather. Capable of flying 60 miles per hour while traveling 500 miles or more in a day , these diminutive battlefield messengers had been valued for their speed, endurance and extraordinary navigation skills since antiquity. Dr. Christopher Warren, vice president and senior curator of the National World War I Museum and Memorial , says armies had a 95 percent success rate in delivering messages by pigeons. “Pigeons were one of the most reliable forms of communications. While newer forms of communication could break, pigeons were doing the thing they were doing for 2,000 years.”

Elizabeth G. Macalaster, author of War Pigeons: Winged Couriers in the U.S. Military, 1878-1957 , says scientists generally believe these birds’ uncanny ability to navigate back to their homes comes not only from keen eyesight. They also have magnetite in their beaks that could act as a compass and an extraordinary ability to detect low frequency noises that travel long distances and guide them home. “Despite all of this knowledge,” she says, “the exact mechanisms by which homing pigeons navigate home from a place they’ve never been remain a mystery.”

The Winged Warriors of World War I

When World War I erupted in 1914, both sides poured resources into developing feathered arsenals. In October 1914, the British Army commissioned Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Henry Osman, founder of Racing Pigeon magazine, to create the Army Pigeon Service. Using his extensive contacts, Osman persuaded pigeon breeders to donate birds and join the service, recruiting 100,000 pigeons for Britain’s war effort.

To facilitate rapid delivery of messages from the trenches , the French successfully experimented with breeding birds in mobile lofts fashioned from horse-drawn carriages and double-decker buses . Installed in lofts five weeks after hatching, young pigeons were handled daily to become comfortable with humans. Initially, handlers released them a few hundred feet from their lofts and gradually increased distances to upward of four miles. Advanced training entailed shifting mobile lofts from location to location. After 10 weeks, pigeons were ready for short flights from the trenches to lofts placed a few miles behind the front lines.

Marching into the trenches with rifles and baskets of pigeons on their backs, soldiers wrote messages on fine tissue paper that they folded and inserted into small aluminum cylinders attached to the birds’ legs. At least two birds carried the same message to increase the odds of delivery. Returning to their lofts, pigeons entered through openings that rang bells to notify pigeon masters of messages.

Pigeons served in every military branch . Tanks dispatched pigeons to relay locations of hidden machine gun nests. Pilots launched them midair to transmit reconnaissance information as quickly as possible. Ships and seaplanes traveled with pigeons to send distress calls in the event of radio failure or emergencies. In Britain alone, more than 700 pigeons relayed messages from sinking ships and planes downed at sea that facilitated their rescues.

As homing pigeons became valuable weapons for the Allies, the Germans deployed sharpshooters and more natural predators—falcons—to remove them from the skies. French forces countered by dyeing pigeons black to camouflage them as crows.

U.S. Builds Its Own Pigeon Arsenal

When the American military entered World War I in 1917, it had little experience using homing pigeons apart from unsuccessful experiments during the Spanish-American War and the 1916 expedition to capture Pancho Villa in Mexico. “Once they saw from the British and French how useful these pigeons could be, the Americans start a pretty robust training program,” Warren says.

Homing pigeons completed nearly 11,000 wartime flights for the U.S. Navy , the first American military branch to use the birds as messengers. The U.S. Army Pigeon Service, which launched operations in France in March 1918, was staffed by 330 “pigeoneers” tasked with caring for and training the birds. Doughboys unfamiliar with pigeons received a five-day crash course in how to handle them and transmit messages. In addition to purchasing 10,000 pigeons from American fanciers, the Pigeon Service received 600 birds donated by the British, including one of wartime’s most famous animals.

The Legend of Cher Ami

That bird, named Cher Ami , had already demonstrated valor by delivering messages for French forces at the Battle of Verdun . But its most famous mission came in October 1918, when it accompanied America’s 77th Infantry Division in the massive Meuse-Argonne Offensive . While attacking a heavily fortified German line in northern France, 554 soldiers advanced too far and became trapped in a ravine where they weathered repeated enemy attacks along with incoming friendly American artillery fire.

Legend has it that, with all other means of communication cut off, the desperate doughboys faced annihilation with their one remaining pigeon their only hope of survival. U.S. Army Major Charles Whittlesey frantically scribbled a note that he folded inside a cannister attached to Cher Ami’s leg. As the division watched Cher Ami take flight, a German gunner blasted the pigeon from the sky. Incredibly, the wounded bird struggled back into the air and flew 25 miles back to the American base.

Cher Ami arrived blinded in one eye, with a deep wound across his chest and a canister dangling from what was left of his right leg. Inside was the message: “We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven’s sake, stop it!” The coordinates aided with the eventual recovery of the “Lost Battalion,” saving 194 American lives.

The pigeon, whose leg required amputation, became an American hero. “Cher Ami symbolized the heroic nature of animals during World War I, the last war in which animals still played such an extensive role,” Warren says. The French government awarded the feathered combatant its highest military honor: the Croix de Guerre, with palm. Grateful members of the Lost Battalion crafted a tiny wooden leg for him. 

“There isn’t anything the United States can do too much for this bird,” said John J. Pershing , commander of the American Expeditionary Force. Under Pershing’s orders, Cher Ami sailed to the United States after the war, where he lived in retirement in a pigeon loft in Washington, D.C. After he died in June 1919 from his battle wounds, Cher Ami’s taxidermied remains were mounted for display in the Smithsonian as a lasting reminder of pigeons’ World War I contributions.

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Honoring heroes: A look at the history of Memorial Day

Aside from Easter, another spring holiday that marks the unofficial kick-off toward summer is considered Memorial Day, but the holiday has more meaning behind it other than a day off of work and barbecues.

Like Veterans Day, this holiday honors our military too.

When is Memorial Day?

Memorial Day falls on the last Monday in May. This year the federal holiday is May 27.

What is Memorial Day?

Memorial Day is an American federal holiday that honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. It's origins were to only honor fallen soldiers of the Civil War and was originally called Decoration Day, according to history.com.

On May 5, 1868, Northern Civil War veteran leader Gen. John A. Logan led the charge for a nationwide day of remembrance which was May 30, that included activities such as decorating the graves of comrades who died, according to history.com.

But that changed during World War I.

Why do we celebrate Memorial Day?

The holiday is celebrated to honor those who died defending their country. Following World War I, the United States shifted the holiday to include those who died in all wars not just the Civil War. In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees. In 1971 it was also declared as federal holiday, according to history.com.

What stores are open Memorial day?

• Aldi: Stores operate for limited hours and vary by location.
• Sam's Club: Stores are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for plus members and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. club members
• ShopRite: Open from 6 a.m. to 10 p. m.
• Target: Open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Trader Joe's: Operating on regular hours.
• Walmart: Operating on regular hours.
• Wegmans: Operating on regular hours.
• Whole Foods: Hours vary based on location.

What stores are closed on Memorial day?

Are banks and shipping services closed for memorial day.

Most national banks and shipping services will be closed for the federal holiday.

• Banks: Branches of Capital One, Bank of America, PNC, Truist, CitiBank and JPMorgan Chase will be closed on Memorial Day, according to USA TODAY.
• FedEx: Office hours will be modified and services that include pickup and delivery will not be available.
• UPS: Check with your local store for specific hours of operation, but services that include pickup and delivery will not be available.
• USPS: All post offices will be closed for regular mail but Priority Mail Express is available 365 days a year, including federal holidays.

Oldest Football Clubs In The World, Ranked By Age

• Many of the oldest football clubs in the world are local sides in lower leagues, often overlooked by elite teams.
• Clubs like Kilmarnock FC and Abingdon Town FC prove that age doesn't correlate with success in football.
• Spread from the UK, football now thrives globally, with historic clubs like Lima CFC in Peru dating back to 1859.

The history of the oldest football clubs in the world is a fascinating topic of discussion for all fans of the beautiful game. In addition to legendary players, stadiums, and the contents of trophy cabinets, the age of a football club is one of the more intriguing aspects of its identity.

Very few of the oldest clubs in the world receive the attention of those at the elite level of the game, namely because many of them are local sides plying their trade in the lower leagues of their respective regions.

10 Worst Soccer Players In The History Of The Sport

The United Kingdom is widely considered to be the birthplace of association football, although nowadays the sport has spread to every corner of the globe including the rest of Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia. The first official match is recognized to have taken place on December 19th, 1863 in London, which lends to the fact that many of the oldest clubs in existence were formed within England, Scotland, and Wales.

Whether amateur, semi-professional, or professional, these are the 20 oldest active football clubs in the world, and even the most knowledgeable of fans will be hard-pressed to have come across all of them.

Abingdon Town FC

Founded - 1870.

Abingdon Town is a club based in the Oxfordshire country in south central England near the River Thames. The club began playing competitive football under its original name of Abingdon FC when it joined the Oxford & District League for the 1892-93 season.

The Culham Road outfit has tasted success sporadically over its 145-year history, but is now a member of the Oxfordshire Senior League Division One. With barely two kilometers separating their respective grounds, the Abbotts have a fierce rivalry with Abingdon United.

Led by the first captain of England, Cuthbert Ottaway, Marlow FC became one of the original competitors in the inaugural FA Cup competition in 1871-72.

In 1984, the Blues turned down the opportunity to join the Southern League to remain an amateur club, allowing Tottenham Hotspur to take their place instead. Nowadays, Marlow competes in the Isthmian League South Central Division.

Stranraer FC

Founded 1870.

Founded in 1870, Stranraer FC is one of the oldest football clubs in Scotland. The Trotters played exclusively within the Southern Counties until 1949 when the club was granted a place in the C Division of Scottish football.

Located in the Dumfries and Galloway area, the club’s home venue is the 6,250-capacity stadium Stair Park, which opened in 1907.

Kilmarnock FC

Founded 1869.

Kilmarnock FC, commonly referred to as Killie, is one of the most successful Scottish clubs behind Glasgow Rangers and Celtic FC. The Scottish Premiership outfit has qualified for European competitions 11 times through its 146-year history, and is one of the only Scottish teams to have played in the European Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup, and UEFA Cup. Killie’s home turf is in the center of Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, a ground capable of holding 18,128 spectators.

Harefield United FC

Founded 1868.

Formed under the original name of Harefield Victoria in 1868, Harefield United is the oldest club in Middlesex and a result of a merger with Harefield FC in 1934. The 147-year-old Hares, who play their home games at the 1,500-capacity Preston Park, currently play in the Combined Counties League Premier North Division after promotion in 2018-19.

Fordingbridge Turks FC

One of the oldest amateur football clubs in the world, Fordingbridge Turks FC was founded in 1868 and named in honor of the bravery of Turkish forces during the Crimean War. The Turks, whose home ground is the Recreation Ground in Fordingbridge, merged with nearby junior club Fordingbridge Town FC in 2014.

The Fordingbridge Turks’ claim to fame is their ownership of the fifth-oldest football trophy in the world, the Basingstoke Cup, which they won three times in the late 19th century.

Sheffield Wednesday FC

Founded 1867.

Sheffield Wednesday FC was founded by the members of a cricket club in 1867, making it the fifth-oldest professional football club in England. The Owls play their home games at Hillsborough in an area of Sheffield that used to be known as Owlerton.

Sheffield Wednesday has been competing in the Championship since finishing second and gaining promotion from League 1 in the 2011-12 campaign, narrowly avoiding relegation in the 2023-24 season. The South Yorkshire club’s last piece of silverware came in the memorable 1991 Football League Cup final when it defeated Manchester United 1-0 at Wembley Stadium.

Queens Park FC

Queen’s Park FC is credited as the catalyst of Scottish football. The Glasgow outfit became the first Scottish club to exist when it was founded in the south of the capital in 1867. Despite going 152 years as an amateur club, the vote was made to change that in 2019 and Queen's Park FC has benefited from it, currently playing in the Scottish Championship.

The club’s home, Hampden Park, is also the home of the Scotland national team, fitting for the only club in the country to have played in the FA Cup final.

Nottingham Forest FC

Founded 1865.

Nottingham Forest is a club steeped in history and success at the highest level, having once been one of the most dominant teams not just in England, but European football. As two-time European Cup winners (now known as the Champions League), Forest put itself on the map and in history books forever. While the club did endure some difficult years following the inception of the Premier League, the club has managed to get back on track. Forest returned to the top flight of English football following the 2022 Championship Play-Off final, and has remained there since.

Brigg Town FC

Founded 1864.

Formed in 1864, Brigg Town FC plays in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division, the ninth level of the English football pyramid. Commonly referred to as the Zebras, the 151-year-old club plays at The Hawthorns in Lincolnshire and last lifted a trophy in the form of the FA Vase at Upton Park during the 2002-03 season.

Brigg Town currently plays in the North Counties East League Division One following promotion in 2018-19, while they enjoyed success in the 2021-2022 campaign by winning the Lincolnshire Senior Trophy.

Wrexham FC is the oldest club in Wales and the first outside of England and Scotland to feature on this list. Despite being of Welsh origin, the Reds were elected as members of England’s Football League in 1921. Founded in 1864, Wrexham plays its home fixtures at the Racecourse Ground, which is officially regarded as the oldest active international football stadium in the world.

The club has enjoyed a lot of success and a real rise in popularity in recent years after actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought Wrexham. With the Disney+ series, Wrexham has become a global brand, and after consecutive promotions the club is now preparing for life in League One.

Civil Service FC

Founded 1863.

Formed and based in London during 1863, Civil Service FC is the last surviving entity of the original 11 clubs that founded the English Football Association. Having played in various amateur league competitions throughout its 152-year history, the club is currently a member of the Southern Amateur Football League. Civil Service FC’s home is at the Civil Service Sports Ground in Chiswick, a district in the west of the English capital.

Royal Engineers Association FC

The Royal Engineers Association FC represents the Corps of Royal Engineers of the British Army. Founded in 1863, the 152-year-old club enjoyed a golden period during the 1870s, winning the FA Cup in 1875 and reaching four of the first seven installments of the competition. Nicknamed the Sappers, the club is based in Gillingham, a town in the English shire of Dorset.

Stoke City FC

Stoke City FC was founded under the name of Stoke Ramblers in 1863, but the club changed its name to Stoke City after Stoke-on-Trent was granted city status in 1925.

One of the founding members of the Football League, the 152-year-old Potters’ home ground is the bet365 Stadium, which opened in 1997 following their move from the Victoria Ground.

Notts County

Founded 1862.

Although it fails to top this list, Notts County holds the title of being the oldest professional football club in the world. Formed in 1862, the club often referred to as the Magpies plays its home fixtures at Meadow Lane in Nottingham, which was built and opened in 1910.

Notts shares an intense rivalry with Nottingham Forest with barely 300 meters separating the two teams. The 153-year-old club lifted its last title at the end of the 2022-23 campaign by winning the play-off finals, as they now feature in League Two.

Founded 1860

Hallam FC was formed three years too late to be the oldest football club in the world, but its 211-year-old home, Sandygate Road, is recognized as the oldest active ground in the world. The club is also believed to have won the world’s first cup competition, the 1867 Youdan Cup, which remains in its possession after the trophy was lost for several years until 1997. Formed in 1860, the Countrymen currently play in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division.

Cray Wanderers

Hidden by the shadow of the five Premier League sides based in London, the 155-year-old Cray Wanderers survive as the oldest club in the English capital. Formed in the Greater London borough of Bromley during 1860, the Wands play their home fixtures at Hayes Lane and compete in the Isthmian League Premier Division. Despite its long history, the club has only progressed as far as the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup on one occasion in 2005-06, a year before it clinched successive Kent League titles.

Founded 1859

Regarded as the oldest football club in Peru, Lima Cricket and Football Club is the only non-British outfit to feature on this list. The club, supposedly founded by English immigrants in 1859, is based in the capital of the South American nation and is currently a member of the San Isidro District local league. Still operating as a multi-sorts club, the 156-year-old Lima CFC currently has two national titles in its trophy cabinet, the Peruvian Primera Division, won more than 100 years ago in 1912 and 1914.

Cambridge University AFC

Founded 1857.

If the University of Cambridge’s proclamation that its team was formed in 1856 is accurate, Cambridge University AFC would be the oldest football club in the world. However, as the club’s year of foundation is disputed by other organizations, that is up for debate.

Cambridge University AFC, which currently participates in the British Universities and Colleges Sport Premier South division, plays its home matches at either Grange Road Stadium or Fenners’ Pitches at the university.

Sheffield FC

Tied atop this list with Cambridge University AFC, Sheffield FC was also founded in 1857. The 158-year-old club is more likely to be the oldest association football club in the world, with FIFA commemorating its 150th anniversary by awarding it an Order of Merit in 2007.

The South Yorkshire outfit currently competes in the eight-tier Northern Premier League Division One East. It has a proud history and is arguably the most deserving holder of the oldest football club in the world.

Minneapolis community looking to honor George Floyd hopes Wolves can lead off the court

MINNEAPOLIS — At the corner of East 38th and Chicago, the Minnesota Timberwolves are not front of mind.

The people who come here, 10 minutes or so from downtown, where the city’s NBA team is in the midst of a renaissance, don’t bring up Anthony Edwards or  the unceasing comparisons of him to Michael Jordan . They don’t seem to care much about Rudy Gobert winning his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award , or Naz Reid getting his first Sixth Man of the Year award . They have come, this day — from Michigan and Oregon and Colorado and California and New York and Ghana — to see the spot where George Floyd was murdered, in front of the Cup Foods store, and how they reconcile what that means to them.

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They are, all of them, quiet, contemplative, nervous. Black, White, Latino, male and female, on foot or bikes; it doesn’t matter. They don’t know where to stand or where they should walk or what they should say. Knowing what happened here, they seem not to want to trespass on the grounds.

An Asian woman has brought flowers. She is crying.

“Would you like a hug?” asks Bridgett Floyd, George Floyd’s younger sister, in town last weekend.   They embrace.

East 38th and Chicago is in the heart of what people in this neighborhood call “The Free State of George Floyd,” more commonly known as George Floyd Square. At intersections surrounding the corner, raised fist sculptures patrol the blocks now rather than the police, and the Pan-African Flag of Black liberation flies high.

The handmade memorials and flowers surround the spot in the street where a former Minneapolis police officer choked the life out of Floyd, who was in handcuffs and lying on the street, by kneeling on his neck for nine minutes, on May 25, 2020, as the officer’s partners rejected urging from people watching — and, vitally, though achingly, recording on their phones — to let Floyd sit up and breathe.

Floyd’s death — the officer who killed him was convicted in 2021 of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter and sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison — sparked worldwide protests condemning police violence against people of color. The decentralized movement known as Black Lives Matter led marches across the country, demanding civic and political change.

For a few fleeting months afterward, the nation seemed to be at least trying to rectify some of its most egregious blind spots on race and systemic racism. Corporate America committed to addressing hiring and promotion inequities, bolstering Diversity, Equity and Inclusion departments, as did schools and universities. Cities and towns removed Confederate monuments and statues from public squares and grounds and renamed schools named for Confederate generals.

The power of the movement, though, has been manifested by the intensity of the backlash against it in the nearly four years since Floyd’s murder.

As the four-year milestone of Floyd’s murder approaches, this city and the nation seem unsure of what to do next, from the macro of the next stages of the social justice movement — and who wants, and does not want, that movement to proceed apace — to the micro of how to develop this space.

And, within that micro, does the wild success of the Timberwolves, who’ve become one of the NBA’s best teams, reaching heights they haven’t reached in two decades and who play in a sold-out arena full of well-heeled fans, mean anything? Does it have any tangible impact?

“The city wants to sit down and talk to us. But the city’s the reason Floyd’s dead,” says Eliza Wesley, the Minneapolis resident and “gatekeeper” of the Square, who patrols the grounds almost daily to ensure visitors know as much of the story of Floyd and the community as possible.

In the early days following Floyd’s murder, she gave out free masks and hand sanitizer, controlled the endless traffic flow of cars going around the small circle that intersects East 38th and Chicago and continued to fundraise and keep local food pantries running as COVID-19 raged.

The local residents and Floyd’s family aren’t angry with the Wolves. They appreciated the gestures the team made after Floyd’s death , and that Karl-Anthony Towns has been here, early and often. Amid his own grief in 2020, after his mother, Jacqueline, died from COVID , Towns came here, just as Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock and others have in the years since.

But people come here, and they leave, and it’s been almost four years now, and these people in the community are still here, day after day, and they want George Floyd and his death to be honored in the way they think he should be honored. They’d like the Wolves and the other pro sports teams here to play a front-facing role, with their profile and resources.

The Wolves have their own answer to the impact question.

“My answer is yes, and I’ll tell you why,” says Tru Pettigrew, the chief diversity and inclusion officer for the Wolves and the WNBA ’s Lynx.

“The unfortunate, man, the tragic murder of George Floyd was actually a catalyst to how and why our team has actually become much more intentional about being present in the community, and building relationships with the community,” Pettigrew said. “That’s how I came into the organization. After the murder, myself and so many others, across the league and across the country, in these positions of chief diversity and inclusion officers, these positions emerged at a rapid pace across the country. The Timberwolves were no different. Where we may have been a little different (was), one, we were the epicenter of so much social and racial unrest, because that’s where the murder of George Floyd took place.

“But, also, I give Ethan (Casson, the Wolves’ CEO) a lot of credit, because when he brought me in, I came in as the head of diversity and player programs. I came in on the basketball side of the business. After that first year, he and I both realized that the passion and the vision and mission in which I was there best served the organization on a more holistic level.

“Working with the players was great. But this needed to be something that permeated the whole organization, across all four franchises (including the Wolves’ G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, and the franchise’s 2K League team, T-Wolves Gaming). My role was evolved to chief impact officer, very intentional to impact the entire community, the culture of the entire organization, and how we showed up in communities.”

Pettigrew was hired by Gersson Rosas, the Wolves’ former president of basketball operations who is now the Knicks’ senior vice president of basketball operations. Originally, Pettigrew’s job description dovetailed with many in the community. He was tasked with building bridges between the Wolves’ players and the Minneapolis police.

“That relationship was strained,” he says now. “It was already a very fragile relationship with law enforcement and the Black community to begin with. Now, you add this, and the players were like, ‘Yo, we’re not feeling MPD.’ That was really my initial assignment.”

The team met with Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other local officials and civic groups in the summer and fall of 2020, often via video during the worst of COVID-19. The team connected with then-Minneapolis NAACP president Leslie Redmond and Elizer Darris, the former co-executive director of the Minnesota Freedom Fund.

That doesn’t mean every relationship with every community group was great, then or now. Where there was community connection, the team tried to double down and replicate it. But where there wasn’t, the Wolves tried to listen to why “and start to resolve and reconcile those relationships,” Pettigrew said.

The club reached out to the Floyd family, many of whom lived in Houston, inviting them to a Rockets-Wolves game when the Wolves came to Houston in 2021, a week after the guilty verdicts came down. Two of Floyd’s brothers, Philonise and Rodney, and his cousin Brandon Williams came to the game. They received a game ball from the team, game-worn jerseys from Edwards and Towns and a custom team jersey with Floyd’s name on the back.

After the win in Houston, Karl-Anthony Towns , Anthony Edwards and Josh Okogie met with George Floyd’s family (who live in Houston). They gave them the game ball from the Sacramento win, which they dedicated to Floyd and his family. @Timberwolves (via @JonKrawczynski ) pic.twitter.com/OoxkPTGewY — The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 28, 2021

“I told them, I don’t know what I can do, but whatever I can do, let me know,” Pettigrew said. “We can commit to you as an organization, you will never have to pay for a game (in Minneapolis), because I knew basketball could serve as a welcome distraction for them. … I knew they were going through so much trauma, as a family. That brotherhood just grew and grew. Over the years, they said, once the cameras went away, and the lights turned down, they said, ‘Y’all were the only organization that still rock with us. Everybody else was just doing it for the photo ops.'”

Pettigrew ticks off, with pride, the off-court honors the team has received in the succeeding years.

The Wolves won the NBA’s Inclusion Leadership Award this year , given out annually by the league to recognize “an organization’s history of and commitment to inclusion as a key business strategy, evaluating the team’s full slate of inclusion programming.”

The organization got the award for its “Pack the Vote” initiative, which focused on providing nonpartisan voter education, increasing voter registration and civic engagement. That dovetailed with the Wolves’ role in the “Restore the Vote” statewide initiative , a program that restored the voting rights of 50,000 formerly incarcerated citizens in the state. The bill passed the Minnesota Legislature early last year and was signed by Gov. Tim Walz in March 2023.

#RestoreTheVote was signed into law today! Huge congrats to the 50K+ Minnesotans who are having their right to vote restored! And ❤ to all who put in the work to help make our state better. @RTVMN — Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) March 3, 2023

And, earlier this month, Towns won the NBA’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award , named after the Hall of Fame center who has spent much of his life off the court raising awareness for social justice ideals and movements worldwide. Towns represented the Wolves as they promoted Restore the Vote with local civic organizations.

All those honors were well-earned. But they don’t feed the vision of what people on the Square want to happen with this space. As the days, and then years, wore on, the crowds coming to honor Floyd diminished in size. But they didn’t stop. They’ve never stopped.

“We had a group come here from Antarctica,” says Angela Harrelson, Floyd’s aunt, saying a group received dispensation to leave their work on the remote continent to come to Minnesota.

The community wants any development of the Square to come from their hands and minds, not from well-meaning bureaucrats and planners who don’t live here, and don’t know what Floyd’s life and struggles were like. Floyd — everyone, including family members, calls him “Floyd,” not “George” — wrestled with addictions. Ideally, a youth center focusing on job creation and substance abuse rehabilitation, along with a museum/memorial that would house the hundreds of thousands of artifacts left by tourists, would be the centerpieces of a reimagined Square.

And folks out here figure the Wolves, with their individual and group largesse, could help with that.

It has been hard for Bridgett Floyd, who lives in North Carolina, to continue to return to the place where her brother was slain. She was here with other family in the days and weeks after the murder and during the police officers’ 2021 trials. But this was the first time in a couple of years that she’s been back. There is so much pain and, even with all the convictions, unresolved anger.

She feels a calling to keep his memory, and the causes raised by his death, in the public’s consciousness. She hands out flowers she bought to visitors.

“I knew Floyd has been here, and there’s something I have to do here,” she said. “So I’m walking in it.”

Of course, a sports team doesn’t have budgetary power or zoning authority. It can’t conduct environmental studies or call public meetings. It’s but a symbol of a city, and there’s only so much it can do that isn’t performative.

Only a handful of players remain from that 2020 team. Pettigrew is leaving the organization at the end of the playoffs. It’s sports; people come, and they go. And the Wolves are in a knockdown, drag-out fight with the Denver Nuggets that will crescendo with a Game 7 Sunday night in Denver. All their attention and focus are on trying to defeat the world’s best player and the NBA’s defending champions.

When the playoff run ends, though, this community will still be here, waiting for someone to listen to them, work with them and see their dreams come to fruition — dreams no more audacious than the ones George Floyd had for his daughter, Gianna.

“Daddy changed the world,” she said in 2020 , on the shoulders of her dad’s friend, former NBA player Stephen Jackson, and she’s right. George Floyd changed the world. He still does, even when people show up here from so far away and can’t explain why they’ve come.

(Top photo of the George Floyd memorial at East 38th and Chicago: David Aldridge / The Athletic )

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David Aldridge is a senior columnist for The Athletic. He has worked for nearly 30 years covering the NBA and other sports for Turner, ESPN, and the Washington Post. In 2016, he received the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Legacy Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. He lives in Washington, D.C. Follow David on Twitter @ davidaldridgedc