The “Rumble in the Jungle” pitted Muhammad Ali against heavyweight champion George Foreman in Zaire, Africa. The match is remembered for the sweltering heat and for Ali’s incredible performance in regaining the heavyweight title. Ali, surrounded by spellbound fans, used a strategy later dubbed the “rope-a-dope” technique to tire Foreman before winning in the eighth [...]
After Britain and the US withdrew their financial pledges to help Egypt build the Aswan High Dam, Egyptian President Gamal Abdal Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, angering both Britain and France, which had direct financial stakes in the canal. A joint invasion of Egypt ensued, but the US forced a settlement stipulating the withdrawal of [...]
The creation of Czechoslovakia was the culmination of the long struggle of the Czechs against their Austrian rulers. Benefiting from a liberal, democratic constitution and the inheritance of the bulk of the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s industry, the new republic appeared to have a bright future. With its antagonistic and nationalistic ethnic elements, however, the new state [...]
The Treaty of Madrid was an early agreement between the fledgling nation of the United States and colonial Spain. The treaty defined the boundaries between the US and Spanish colonies to the south and west, and it secured the US rights to navigate the Mississippi River, which was a critical waterway for trade. The signatories [...]