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‘Pluck, Tenacity and Inspired Guidance’ – Exploring the Birth of the Paralympic Games

The first Paralympics took place in Rome in 1960. But this was not the beginning of competitive sport for people with disabilities; indeed, the origins of the Paralympics can partly be traced to the aftermath of the Second World War and the work undertaken at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Archers at Stoke Mandeville Hospital | The Sphere | 21 August 1948 And nor was it the culmination of such work; the Paralympics in Rome were only open to those with mobility or

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Stories of Stoke Mandeville Hospital and the Origins of the Paralympics

With the 2012 Paralympic Games now underway in London, we thought we’d post some stories about the pioneering sporting activities that Stoke Mandeville Hospital organised in the late 1940s, as well as some of the very moving reports about some of the patients who were admitted to the famous Spinal Injuries Unit. We were especially moved by the incredible story of Miss Nancy Windley. If you’d like to read further stories about Stoke Mandeville Hospital, just do a Phrase Search for ‘Stoke

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Celebrating All 34 British Medal Winners from the 1924 Paris Olympics

As the 2024 Paris Olympics begin, we at the British Newspaper Archive could not help but look back at the 1924 Paris Olympics, with the same city playing host to the summer Olympic Games exactly one hundred years ago. Paris had also hosted the Olympics in 1900, and so this year will be the third time that the city hosts the iconic sporting tournament. And the 1924 Paris Olympics would prove an iconic one for Britain, with gold medal wins

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