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Blue Riband

The Blue Riband is an unofficial accolade given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest average speed. The term was borrowed from horse racing and was not widely used until after 1910. The record is based on average speed rather than passage time because ships follow different routes. Also, eastbound and westbound speed records are reckoned separately, as the more difficult westbound record voyage, against the Gulf Stream and the prevailing weather systems, typically results in lower average speeds.

Of the 35 Atlantic liners to hold the Blue Riband, 25 were British, followed by five German, three American, as well as one each from Italy and France. Thirteen were Cunarders (plus Queen Mary of Cunard White Star), five by White Star, with four owned by Norddeutscher Lloyd, two by Collins, two by Inman and two by Guion, and one each by British American, Great Western, Hamburg-America, the Italian Line, Compagnie Générale Transatlantique and finally the United States Lines. The record set by United States in 1952 remains unbroken by any passenger liner. The next-longest period through which the Blue Riband was retained was 19 years, held from 1909 to 1929 by Mauretania. The shortest period was six weeks, by Bremen from July to August 1933.

Many of these ships were built with substantial government subsidies and were designed with military considerations in mind. Winston Churchill estimated that the two Cunard Queens helped shorten the Second World War by a year. The last Atlantic liner to hold the Blue Riband, the SS United States, was designed for her potential use as a troopship as well as her service as a commercial passenger liner. There was no formal award until 1935, when Harold K. Hales donated the Hales Trophy; though the rules for the Hales Trophy were different from the traditional rules for the Blue Riband (for example, the Hales Trophy was originally only awarded for westbound records ) and changed several times thereafter. It was awarded to just three Blue Riband holders during the express liner era. The trophy continues to be awarded, though many people believe United States remains as the holder of the Blue Riband, because no subsequent record-breaker was in Atlantic passenger service.

Background
The first well-documented crossing of the North Atlantic, though not the earliest, was that of John Cabot's ship Matthew in the summer of 1497. Matthew crossed from Bristol to Newfoundland in 35 days, returning the following month in just 17 days. Over the next three centuries, countless vessels (merchant ships and warships, fast and slow, in peace and war) crossed back and forth over the North Atlantic, all subject to the vagaries of wind and weather. They arrived at port when they could, dependent on the wind, and left when they were loaded, frequently visiting other ports to complete their routes. During this period eastbound passages of 30 and 45 days were not uncommon, while westward passages of 65 to 90 days excited no attention. It was the advent of the steamship, with its independence from wind power, which offered the possibility of regular, scheduled Atlantic crossings, in periods of two to three weeks, that opened a new era of transatlantic travel and competition.

History
The term "Blue Riband of the Atlantic" did not come into use until the 1890s, and the history of the trans-Atlantic competition, which was compiled retrospectively, was regarded as starting with the crossings by the steamships Sirius and Great Western in 1838. Although not the first steamships to cross the Atlantic (Savannah had crossed in 1819, and Royal William in 1831) nor the fastest to make the crossing (the packet sailing ship Columbia crossed west to east in 15 days 23 hours in 1830, and crossings by sail packets of 16 and 17 days were not unheard of) the Sirius and Great Western were the first steamships offering a regular, scheduled trans-Atlantic service; and crucially, they were involved in a race. Cunard refused officially to recognise the title because racing vessels was not in line with the company's safety policy.

Paddlers (1838–1872)
The idea of building a line of transatlantic steamships was mooted in 1832 by Junius Smith, an American lawyer turned London merchant. The idea came to him during an Atlantic crossing which took 57 days, a not unusual occurrence, and it was published in the American Rail Road Journal. After receiving no support for several years, his plan gained credibility when Scottish shipbuilder Macgregor Laird became an investor. Smith, who is often considered the Father of the Atlantic Liner, formed the British and American Steam Navigation Company to operate a London-New York service. About the same time, the question of Atlantic steamships was discussed at an 1835 director's meeting of the newly formed Great Western Railway when the line's chief engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel supposedly joked that the line could be made longer by building a steamship to run between Bristol and New York. The necessary investors were recruited by Brunel's friend, Thomas Guppy, a Bristol engineer and businessman. The next year, the Great Western Steamship Company was established, even though the rail line was still years from completion.

By spring 1838, Brunel's SS Great Western was ready for sea, but Smith's first ship was still without engines. When Great Western scheduled its initial sailing, Laird suggested that British and American charter the Irish Sea steamer SS Sirius (1837) from the St. George Steam Packet Company for two voyages to beat Great Western. While the Sirius left Cork, Ireland four days before Great Western departed Avonmouth, Great Western still came within a day of overtaking Sirius to New York. To complete the voyage, Sirius was forced to burn spars when coal ran low. With her westbound crossing at 8.03 knots (14.87 km/h), Sirius is often considered the first record holder even though she would have held the record for only one day, until Great Western's arrival from her even faster crossing. However the notion of a "Blue Riband" would not be used for several decades. Great Western herself became the prototype for all successful wooden paddlers and made a record-breaking voyage at 10.03 kn as late as 1843.

The Cunard Line started its Liverpool-Halifax-Boston service in 1840 with the four ships that were slightly reduced versions of Great Western with about the same speed. Ultimately Cunard built nine additional wood paddlers. By 1846, Cunard was the only original steamship line that survived, largely because of its subsidy from the British Admiralty to carry the mails and its emphasis on safety. Until 1850, the record passed between various Cunarders, finally reaching 12.25 kn for an 8-day Liverpool-Halifax crossing by Asia. Record voyages during this period were often the result of using sails to gain extra speed from a following gale.

Cunard's first serious competition for the record came from the American-owned Collins Line. The American Government supplied Collins with a substantial subsidy to operate four wooden paddlers that were superior to Cunard's best. In its first year, 1850, the SS Pacific (1849) set the record at 12.46 kn on a 10-day run from Liverpool to New York. Unfortunately, Collins suffered a setback when its SS Arctic foundered with heavy loss of life. The next year, Cunard put further pressure on Collins by commissioning its first iron-hulled paddler, the Persia, which set a new record with a 9-day, 16-hour Liverpool–New York voyage at 13.11 kn. During the Crimean War, Cunard supplied eleven of its ships for war service and suspended all routes except the Liverpool–Halifax–Boston service. While the Collins' fortunes improved because of the lack of competition during the war, Collins collapsed in 1858 after the loss of two additional steamers. Cunard emerged as the leading carrier of first-class passengers and in 1862 commissioned the Scotia, the last paddle steamer to set a record with a Queenstown-New York voyage at 14.46 kn. Scotia was the final significant paddler ordered for the Atlantic because under the terms of Cunard's mail contract with the Admiralty, it was still required to supply paddle steamers when needed for military service.

Single screw steamers (1872–1889)

In 1845, Brunel's SS Great Britain became the first iron-hulled screw liner on the Atlantic. Starting in 1850, the Inman Line built numerous reduced versions for the steerage trade. In 1866, Inman started to commission single screw express liners that were the equal of Scotia. The Admiralty allowed Cunard to order its first screw express liner, the Russia. In 1871 both companies faced a new rival when the White Star Line commissioned Oceanic and her five sisters. The following year, White Star's Adriatic finally surpassed Scotia with a voyage at 14.65 kn. The new White Star record-breakers were especially economical because of their use of compound engines, but their high ratio of length to beam (10:1 compared to the previous norm of 8:1) increased vibration. To counter this, White Star placed the dining saloon midships and made their ships more luxurious. Inman rebuilt its express fleet to the new standard, but Cunard lagged behind both of its rivals. In 1875, Inman's new City of Berlin averaged 15.21 kn on its record-breaking voyage.

During the five-year shipping depression that began in 1873, William Pearce, the controlling partner of the John Elder shipyard, became convinced that a crack steamer that carried only passengers and light freight could be profitable because she would attract more passengers and spend less time in port. He proposed a ship that crammed the most powerful machinery possible into the hull, sacrificing everything to speed. When Cunard rejected his proposal, Pearce offered his idea to the Guion Line, a firm primarily engaged in the steerage trade. The first ship Pearce built for Guion, the Arizona was described as a "souped-up transatlantic hot rod" by one nautical historian. While she only won the eastbound record, two years later, Guion took delivery of the even faster Alaska that set the record at 16.07 kn. To continue the program, Pearce offered Guion favourable terms on a third unit, the Oregon, which raised the record to 18.56 kn in 1884. These ships were uncomfortable and their excessive coal consumption made them uneconomic. However, for a while they were popular with American clients because of their American ownership.

After being out of the contest for a decade, Cunard finally started to rebuild. In 1884, Cunard purchased Oregon from the Guion line when that firm defaulted on payments to the shipyard. Later that year, Cunard commissioned the first steel-hulled record-breakers, Umbria and Etruria. Etruria, the faster of the pair, raised the record to 19.56 kn on a 6-day, 2-hour run from Queenstown to Sandy Hook in 1888. However, Etruria and her sister represented the limit of single screw technology.

Double screw steamers (1889–1907)
The Inman line fell on hard times after their intended record-breaker, City of Rome failed to meet expectations and was returned to her builders in 1882. Inman directors agreed to voluntary liquidation so that the largest creditor, the Philadelphia-based International Navigation Company could purchase Inman's assets. The new owners provided the capital to build two outstanding record breakers, the twin-screw SS City of New York and the SS City of Paris (1888). Starting in 1889, the later ship set the record on four occasions, including a voyage at 20.7 kn in 1892. White Star, which had not built an express liner since the SS Germanic (1875) of 1875, commissioned the record-breaker, SS Teutonic (1889) of 1889 and SS Majestic (1890) of 1890 after receiving a subsidy from the Admiralty to make the pair available as merchant cruisers in the event of hostilities. Cunard countered with two even faster ships, the Campania and the Lucania of 1893. The next year, Lucania recorded a voyage at 21.81 kn. Inman became the American Line and ordered two additional express liners from American yards, but no attempt was made to best the new Cunarders. In 1894, Guion ceased sailing as its ships were now hopelessly outdated.

No sooner had Cunard reestablished its supremacy than new rivals emerged. Beginning in the late 1860s, several German firms commissioned liners that were almost as fast as the British mail steamers working from Liverpool. In 1889, the Hamburg-America Line commissioned four double screw steamers capable of 18.00 kn. Its rival, Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL) lagged behind until 1895 when it ordered two ships intended to take the record. In 1898, the SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse raised the record to 22.29 kn, while the other liner, Kaiser Friedrich failed to achieve her contract speed and was returned to her builders. Hamburg America ordered the even more powerful SS Deutschland (1900) that reached 23.06 kn on one of her record-breaking 1900 voyages. However, Hamburg America quickly learned that these high powered double screw liners had vibration problems. Deutschland had the unpleasant nickname, "cocktail shaker" and actually lost part of her stern in 1902 because of the constant vibration.

Rather than match the new German speedsters, White Star decided to drop out of the competition and commission the four large Celtic-class luxury liners of more moderate speed. White Star realised that passengers preferred comfort even if this means spending an extra day at sea. In 1902, White Star joined the well capitalised American combine, the International Mercantile Marine Co. (IMM) that owned the American Line and others. IMM also had trade agreements with Hamburg America and Norddeutscher Lloyd. After its bad experience with the Deutschland, Hamburg America also dropped out of the race and commissioned large luxury liners based on the Celtic. However, NDL completed building a fleet of four additional express liners modelled on Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse.

Ships of state (1907–1969)
After 1902, only the Cunard Line and the French Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT) were independent of the IMM combine. British prestige was at stake, and the Government provided Cunard with an annual subsidy of £150,000 plus a low-interest loan of £2.5 million to pay for the construction of the two superliners, Lusitania and Mauretania, under the condition that they be available for conversion to armed cruisers when needed by the navy. Starting in 1907, both ships won the Blue Riband and Mauretania's 1909 record of 26.06 kn stood for 20 years. However, these ships paid a price for speed and lacked many of the amenities found in the new White Star and Hamburg American luxury liners. Both Cunard rivals ordered a trio of even bigger luxury liners, the White Star Olympic-class capable of 21.5 kn and HAPAG's Imperator class capable of 22.5 kn. Even Cunard chose this approach when it ordered its third superliner, the Aquitania.

There is a persistent rumor that RMS Titanic was attempting to win the Blue Riband and that such effort resulted in excessive speed and collision with the iceberg. This is likely false, as the Titanic was built for luxury, not speed.

As a result of the war, Hamburg American and Norddeutscher Lloyd lost their premier units. In 1926, the U.S. Government awarded Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL) $27 million in compensation for its confiscated liners. By this time, improvements in turbine technology and hull form, along with the use of fuel oil instead of coal, made it possible to build more civilised record breakers. Using these funds, NDL ordered two ships designed to cross the Atlantic in five days, the SS Bremen (1928) and SS Europa (1930). However, the American government netted the award against debts owed by the German Government and Berlin was forced to directly subsidise NDL to continue the project. Bremen recorded 27.83 kn on her 1929 Blue Riband voyage and Europa increased the Blue Riband to 27.92 kn in 1933.

In 1928, as Britain's response to the German SS Bremen (1928) and SS Europa (1930), the White Star Line ordered a new Diesel-electric 1000-ft long ocean liner to be named Oceanic capable of 200,000 SHP. Construction started on 28 June 1928. However, White Star did not have the funds to complete the liner, and Oceanic's construction was put on hold until 1931 when her keel was silently scrapped. Her ahead-of-their-time engines might have been powerful enough to enable her to win the Blue Riband.

In 1929, two lines from Italy each ordered a ship based on the German pair. Just as these ships were being completed, the Italian government nationalised the shipping industry, creating the Italian Line. While both superliners were successful, only the SS Rex won the Blue Riband, with a 1933 voyage at 28.92 kn.

CGT also ordered a new superliner in 1929. The next year, Cunard started construction on an 80,000-ton liner that was to be the first of two record-breakers fast enough to fit into a two-ship weekly Southampton–New York service. Consequently, CGT altered its plans to make its new liner even bigger. However, as the 1929 shipping depression intensified, construction on Cunard's hull 534 was halted while work on the heavily subsidised French ship continued. By 1934, both Cunard and White Star lines were failing and the British Government was concerned about potential job losses. Therefore, the government agreed to give Cunard a loan of £3 million to complete hull 534 as the RMS Queen Mary and an additional £5 million to build a second ship, the RMS Queen Elizabeth only if Cunard merged with White Star.

CGT's SS Normandie entered service in 1935 and won the Blue Riband at 29.98 kn. Queen Mary was commissioned the next year, and after a few break-in voyages, took the Blue Riband to 30.14 kn. The two liners were operated as a pair and traded the Blue Riband again, with the Cunard White Star Liner ultimately posting 30.99 kn in 1938. Queen Mary's consort, Queen Elizabeth, was commissioned after war was declared and was never allowed to attempt the record.

In 1935, Harold K. Hales (1868–1942), a member of the UK Parliament and owner of a shipping company, commissioned a large trophy to be presented to the fastest ship crossing the Atlantic, in order to formalize the rules surrounding the trans-Atlantic competition. The rules for the trophy did not correspond to the traditional rules for the Blue Riband in that the trophy was to be awarded only to surface passenger ships achieving the fastest speed in the westbound direction. Other rule changes further complicated the situation, and eventually the trophy was awarded to just three Blue Riband holders; Rex, in 1935, Normandie in 1936, and United States in 1952.

Of the ships of state, only Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and Europa survived the war. Europa became CGT's Liberté and no attempt was made to retain her former speed when she was reconstructed. However, the United States government was impressed by the large numbers of troops carried by the Queens during the war and ordered a superliner that was as much a troop carrier as an express liner. On her maiden voyage in 1952, the United States upped the Blue Riband to 35.59 kn eastbound and 34.51 kn westbound. In 1958, the transatlantic airlines put jet transports into service and the days of the record breakers were numbered. Liberté retired in 1961, along with Queen Mary in 1967, and United States in 1969.

The Blue Riband today (1969–present)
With the success of United States in 1952 and Cunard's decision not to challenge the new record the Blue Riband contest again subsided. There was a growing recognition that the era of fast crossings by express liners was becoming a thing of the past and that the contest for fast transatlantic travel was shifting to the air.

In the 1930s, air travel was already competing with the express liners for fast Atlantic crossings; in 1936, the German company DELAG commenced an airship service to New York, their Hindenburg crossing from Europe to America in times ranging from 53 to 78 hours, and the following year, while experimenting with a flying boat service, Empire Airways Caledonia reduced this to 15 hours. In the post-war period times were reduced again by the advent of land-based airliners, such as the Lockheed Constellation. Hopes in 1952 were expressed for the new de Havilland Comet jetliner, though these were dashed by the succession of crashes that halted the Comet programme. A regular jetliner service was finally introduced in 1958 with the Boeing 707 and the DC 8, cutting the crossing to 7 hours. The final step in the quest for trans-Atlantic speed was the Concorde, which set a record in 1996 of a second under two hours 53 minutes, at an average speed of 1250 mph (Mach 1.9), but by this time airlines were aware that cost and comfort were more important to passengers than speed, and the emphasis shifted to aircraft like the Boeing 747, with a sleeper capacity for business passengers. Concorde's crossing was not the fastest ever flight across the Atlantic. That record is still held by a Lockheed SR-71A which crossed the Atlantic in 1 hour 54 minutes in 1974, although that was not carrying commercial passengers.

At sea United States record stood until 1986 when it was challenged by British entrepreneur Richard Branson, and his high-speed motor vessel, Virgin Atlantic Challenger. Despite having to stop to refuel on several occasions, Branson shaved two hours off the record, increasing the average speed to 36.4 knots. However, as  Virgin Atlantic Challenger was not a passenger vessel the New York Maritime Museum refused to part with the Hales Trophy, so Branson inaugurated the Virgin Atlantic Challenge Trophy, for the fastest unqualified Atlantic crossing, open to all challengers. Three years later this was won by Tom Gentry, whose Gentry Eagle slashed the record, crossing in 62 hours at an average 47.4 knots. In 1992 the Virgin Atlantic Challenge was again won, by the Aga Khan's Destriero crossing in 58 hours 34 minutes and averaging 53.09 knots. She also made a record-breaking return journey, winning the Columbus Atlantic Trophy, posted by the yacht club in response to the Virgin Atlantic Challenge for the fastest two-way voyage i.e. a single crossing and return voyage within a specified time.

Meanwhile, Incat, builders of fast catamaran ferries, and therefore indisputably commercial vessels, decided to make an attempt to win the Hales Trophy, for which the record was still that of United States. This was achieved in 1990 by Hoverspeed Great Britain, with a non-stop crossing of 79 hours 54 minutes, averaging 36.6 knots and Incat were awarded the trophy by the Hales Trophy Committee. Eight years later this record was broken by another Incat vessel, Catalonia, and again the following month by Cat-Link V in 68 hours and 9 minutes (41.28 knots).

With the end of the express liners era, the Blue Riband has become an item of largely historical interest, with some authors regarding the United States as the last holder of the accolade. Meanwhile, the goal of the fastest Atlantic crossings remains a physical and technological challenge and at least three awards for the feat remain in play.

List of record breakers
The following is the latest consensus list of the research to date. Because there was no sanctioning body for the Blue Riband, researchers are limited to surviving shipping company archives and press reports to develop the list of Blue Riband winners. These lists are retrospective and limited to steamships only. Therefore, most lists feature Sirius, in her race with Great Western in 1838, as the first record-holder, although her crossing was not as fast as some sail packet ships of the period. Early writers including Arthur Maginnus (1892), Henry Frey (1896), Charles Lee (1931) and C. R. Benstead (1936) were the standard sources until the 1950s. Since then, C. R. Vernon Gibbs (1952), and Noel Bonsor (1975) added to the body of knowledge, with additional detail about the German ships provided by Arnold Kludas.

Over the years, the lists have not agreed. For example, Gibbs credits Inman's City of Paris with an 1866 Blue Riband voyage, and Cunard's Russia with an eastbound record the following year because he considered as dubious Scotia's Blue Riband claim of 14.46 kn, supposedly based on a very long track. Later writers have included the Scotia claim. Gibbs also includes the claimed Blue Riband voyage at 17.6 kn of the National Line's America of 1884 that was not confirmed by later researchers.

title: Blue Riband


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Desert Island Discs

Desert Island Discs is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942.

Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight audio recordings (usually, but not always, music), a book and a luxury item that they would take if they were to be cast away on a desert island, whilst discussing their life and the reasons for their choices. It was devised and originally presented by Roy Plomley. Since 2018, the programme has been presented by Lauren Laverne.

More than 3,000 episodes have been recorded, with some guests having appeared more than once and some episodes featuring more than one guest. An example of a guest who falls into both categories is Bob Monkhouse, who appeared with his co-writer Denis Goodwin on 12 December 1955 and in his own right on 20 December 1998.

When Desert Island Discs marked its 75th year in 2017, The Guardian called the show a radio classic. In February 2019, a panel of broadcasting industry experts named it the greatest radio programme of all time.

Format
Guests are invited to imagine themselves cast away on a desert island, and choose eight audio recordings (originally gramophone records) to take with them; discussion of their choices permits a review of their life. Excerpts from their choices are played or, in the case of short pieces, the whole work. At the end of the programme they choose the one piece they regard most highly. Guests are also automatically given the Complete Works of Shakespeare and either the Bible or another appropriate religious or philosophical work. They are then prompted to select a third book to accompany them. Popular choices include Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. Actress Judi Dench, who has macular degeneration, was permitted to take an audiobook in place of a printed manuscript.

Guests also choose one luxury, which must be inanimate and of no use in escaping the island or allowing communication from outside. Roy Plomley enforced these rules strictly. He did, however, grant a special dispensation to Princess Michael of Kent, who chose her pet cat. However, subsequent presenters have allowed more variation on the rules; John Cleese was allowed to take Michael Palin with him, on the condition that he was dead and stuffed. Examples of luxuries have included champagne and a piano, the latter of which is one of the most requested luxuries.

After Plomley's death in 1985, the programme was presented by Michael Parkinson from 1986 to 1988, then from 1988 to 2006 by Sue Lawley and from 2006 to 2018 by Kirsty Young. Young was replaced by 6 Music presenter Lauren Laverne, who interviewed Olympic diver Tom Daley for her first show, broadcast on 30 September 2018. Laverne was initially drafted in as an interim presenter while Young was suffering from fibromyalgia; she was appointed permanently in July 2019 when Young announced her decision not to return.

Notable guests
The first castaway was Vic Oliver, and several castaways, including Celia Johnson, Arthur Askey, Trevor Nunn, John Schlesinger, Kenneth Williams, Terry Wogan, Brian Rix, David Attenborough, John Mortimer, Adele Leigh, Delia Smith and Stephen Fry have been cast away more than once. The most requested piece of music over the first 60 years was "Ode to Joy", the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. One of the most remarked broadcasts was Elisabeth Schwarzkopf's 1958 selection of seven of her own recordings. This record was subsequently beaten by British pianist Dame Moura Lympany on her second appearance on the programme on 28 July 1979 when all eight of her selections were of her own recordings.

In the early 1970s, Alistair MacLean was chosen as a guest, but the head of the European wing of the Ontario Tourist Bureau, who had the same name, was accidentally invited instead. Plomley realised the error while conversing with MacLean shortly before they were set to record the programme. Without any time to find another guest, the interview was completed, but it was never broadcast.

In January 1981, Princess Margaret appeared as a castaway on the show.

Opening theme
Plomley originally wanted the sounds of "surf breaking on a shore and the cries of sea birds" to open and close each programme. However, Leslie Prowne, the head of popular record programmes at the BBC, was concerned that it lacked definition and insisted that music should also be used. Plomley and the series' producer Frederic Piffard selected "By the Sleepy Lagoon", composed by Eric Coates (who appeared on the show in 1951). The tune has been used since the first transmission in 1942. The sound of herring gulls has accompanied the music except for a period of time in 1964 when tropical bird sounds were used.

Copyright status
Until late September 2009, Desert Island Discs could not be heard on the BBC's iPlayer service, which allows most programmes to be heard up to a week after transmission. The programme's website stated that this was due to rights issues, as explained in The Sunday Times in 2006.

It was announced on 27 September 2009 that an agreement had been reached as a result of which the programme would be available to stream via the iPlayer. The first episode available through the iPlayer was with Barry Manilow. Subsequently, the programme was also made available as a podcast, beginning with the edition broadcast on 29 November 2009, which featured Morrissey. However, due to music clearance issues, the music selections on the podcast versions are reduced to only playing for around 30 seconds or so (and in rare instances are unavailable, as mentioned in an announcement made by the presenter at the appropriate point of the programme).

On 30 March 2011, the BBC placed more than 500 episodes from the show's archive online to listen to via iPlayer. Other episodes have since been added, both new and old.

In the early years of the BBC, programmes were broadcast live and were not usually recorded. This, in addition to the BBC's policy of only retaining a limited number of broadcasts, means very few episodes from the first 20 years of the show are known to exist; the earliest episode still in existence was broadcast on 25 April 1951 and features actress Margaret Lockwood. Several extracts were preserved for posterity at the request of the guests, such as an extract featuring Alfred Hitchcock where he speaks about his films The Pleasure Garden (1925) and Rebecca (1940), gives his view on the changing landscape of the film industry and briefly discusses his then forthcoming film Psycho (1960).

In 2022 over 90 recordings, previously thought to be lost, were rediscovered by the audio collector Richard Harrison. These recordings date from the period 1952 to 1988 and feature many notable celebrities of the era including Bing Crosby, Margot Fonteyn and James Stewart. These recordings have been made available for streaming via BBC Sounds, the successor to iPlayer for audio content. In 2023 an additional episode, featuring Veronica Wedgwood, from 10 March 1973, was recovered.

List of publications

 * Desert Island Discs (1977, by Roy Plomley)
 * Plomley's Pick (1982, by Roy Plomley)
 * Desert Island Lists (1984, compiled by Roy Plomley and Derek Drescher)
 * Sue Lawley's Desert Island Discussions (1990, by Sue Lawley)
 * Desert Island Discs: 70 Years of Castaways (2012, by Sean Magee, foreword by Kirsty Young)
 * Desert Island Discs: Flotsam & Jetsam (2012, by Mitchell Symons)
 * The Definitive Desert Island Discs (2023, by Ian Gittings, Foreword by Lauren Laverne)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Desert Island Discs


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Captain Underpants

Captain Underpants is an illustrated children's graphic novel series by American author and illustrator Dav Pilkey. The series revolves around two fourth graders, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, living in Piqua, Ohio, and Captain Underpants, an aptly named superhero from one of the boys' homemade comic books, who accidentally becomes real when George and Harold hypnotize their cruel, bossy, and ill-tempered principal, Mr. Krupp. From the third book onwards, Mr. Krupp also possesses superhuman strength, durability and flight as a result of drinking alien "Extra-Strength Super Power Juice". Currently, the series includes 12 books, two activity books, colored versions, 15 spin-offs, and won a Kids' Choice Award on April 4, 2006. As of 2014, the series has been translated into more than 20 languages, with more than 80 million books sold worldwide, including over 50 million in the United States. DreamWorks Animation acquired the rights to the series to make an animated feature film adaptation, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, which was released on June 2, 2017, to positive reviews, followed by a television series, The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants, which aired on Netflix from July 13, 2018 to December 4, 2020, also to positive reviews.

After the main series concluded with the twelfth novel, Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot, in 2016, a spin-off series titled Dog Man was released the following year. The spin-off series has 12 books so far.

Overview
List indicator(s):
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Main

 * George Beard and Harold Hutchins – Two fourth grade pranksters, who are best friends, next-door neighbors, and the main protagonists of the series. They started a comic book company called "Treehouse Comix, Inc.", and sneak to the secretary's office at school to make copies of their latest comic book and sell on the playground. They are the class clowns in 4th grade at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School (named for Curly of the Three Stooges), a school which discourages imagination and fun, located in Piqua, Ohio. They often get in trouble with Mr. Krupp. In the ninth epic novel, Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Re-Turn of Tippy Tinkletrousers, George wore his hair in a huge afro when he is five-and-three-quarters years old (it is also mentioned that he got his hair cut into a flat top by Harold before their final anti-bully prank). After time travel antics, duplicates of them are created in the present, referred to as Yesterday George and Yesterday Harold. After the original duo travel to the future, they find their other selves to have become graphic novel creators. Future Yesterday George married a woman named Lisa and had two children named Meena and Nik. Future Yesterday Harold married a man named Billy and had adopted twin children named Owen and Kei. George's parents are named Moses (his father) and Barbara (his mother), while Harold's mother is named Grace (Harold's parents got divorced and his father moved to Nevada a few months ago when he was six years old). George's grandmother and Harold's grandfather appear in the eighth book, where they unknowingly drink the last of the superpower juice while reading a comic the boys created where they are the heroes. They later transform into the same heroes to defend George and Harold from Captain Blunderpants and profess their love to each other, much to the boys' disgust. In the adaptations, their personalities are mostly unchanged, but they now usually only prank to entertain their schoolmates and treat Captain Underpants more as a friend than a last resort. In the film, they are respectively voiced by Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch and by Ramone Hamilton and Jay Gragnani in the series.
 * Mr. Benjamin "Benny" Krupp – The "cruel" and "mean-spirited" principal of Jerome Horwitz Elementary School and the antihero of the series (usually when no real dangers are happening). He is usually depicted as an overweight man. Mr. Krupp has a deep hatred of children and also tries to protect the students at Jerome Horwitz Elementary from George and Harold's pranks. He has a younger brother named Jasper (Kipper's father), and his parents are named John and Bernice. When Mr. Krupp was little, he performed a hip-hop dance at a talent show, his mother passed out fruits and vegetables to the audience so they could throw them at him because he did not watch the cows from his family farm. This leads him to become "mean" and "cold-hearted" and vow to make all kids feel just as bad as he did. His last name is a pun of the word "corrupt". When he goes by his full name, it is a pun on "bankrupt". Mr. Krupp was based on Mr. Crutch from Shrimps for a Day and was originally named Mr. Crutch. In the film, it is revealed that he read George and Harold's comics when he confiscated them and felt they were a little funny, which explains how he knows what Captain Underpants acts like when he is hypnotized. In the film, he is voiced by Ed Helms and in the series, he is voiced by Nat Faxon.
 * Captain Underpants – The superhero counterpart and alter ego/split personality of Mr. Krupp. He only wears white briefs and a red cape with black polka dots. Whenever Mr. Krupp hears the sound of fingers snapping, he turns into Captain Underpants and he turns back into Mr. Krupp when water is poured on his head. Captain Underpants gains superpowers in the third book and possessed superhuman strength, durability, flight, and "wedgie power" where he can pull unlimited underwear from his utility waistband. As the book series went on, Captain Underpants had increasingly minor roles in each installment. In the 12th book, he lost his superpowers and was erased from existence, much to George and Harold's apathy. Captain Underpants is considered to be the "light side" of Mr. Krupp himself, as he is friendly to everyone. He is very protective of children, especially George and Harold since he believes that they're his sidekicks. In the film, he is voiced by Ed Helms and in the series, he is voiced by Nat Faxon.
 * Melvin Richard Sneedly – George and Harold's nerdy nemesis. He is an "annoying snitch", a "genius inventor", and the school's smartest student. His parents, Cindy and Gaylord, are professional scientists and are canonically neglectful. In the Netflix series, he is thought to have been inventing ever since he was a baby and has a bizarre sense of humor, laughing at videos of rotting fruit. In the movie, he is the only student who has no sense of humor because he thinks everything childish is not funny and only focuses on his studies so he can get extra credit. He is also said to have no brain stem. In the eleventh book, he becomes a superhero named Big Melvin after he defeats the Turbo Toilet 2000 after he drinks superpower juice he created from Mr. Krupp's dirty toenail clipping. He rescued people from emergencies, but later, people started to abuse the system by calling him to do menial tasks. He travels back in time to bring Captain Underpants to the present to defeat the Turbo Toilet 2000 so his life as a superhero would never become reality. In the film, he is voiced by Jordan Peele and in the series by Jorge Diaz.
 * Sulu and Crackers – George and Harold's pets. Sulu was Melvin's abandoned pet bionic hamster who was adopted by George and Harold. Crackers is their pet Quetzalcoatlus they got when they traveled back in time with Melvin Sneedly's time machine. The pair then had three children together named Tony, Orlando, and Dawn.

Recurring
In book 11, when the teachers saw two Georges and two Harolds, they think they are dreaming and then they go naked. They are arrested when Miss Fitt pulled down Officer McWiggly's pants. Mr Hand in the series gets hired.
 * Mr. Kenny Brian Meaner – Mr. Meaner is Jerome Horwitz Elementary School's gym teacher. He is depicted as being an overweight man and with a personality similar to Mr. Krupp's. Like him, he is cruel to students and often yells at them. He appeared in the Netflix series, where he is depicted as being ignorant and talks in a stutter by saying "yeah yeah yeah yeah." In book 12, Meaner becomes Sir Stinks-A-Lot. His name is a pun on the word "misdemeanor" or the saying "can he be meaner". He is voiced by David Koechner in the TV series. In the TV series, he has an alternate ego by the name of Sargeant Boxers, which was made as a replacement for Captain Underpants in the first episode of the second season.
 * Miss Edith Anthrope – The school secretary who is often shown to be in a bad mood. Like all the other teachers at the school including Mr. Krupp, she is unkind to children. She is slightly overweight, in contrast to most of the other teachers. In the movie, she is on hold for three days thinking she will win a contest with a cash prize of $1 billion. In the movie she does not speak, but in the series, she is voiced by Patty Mattson where she is glum but yells "Fine!". A running gag in the series involves her entering Mr. Krupp's office saying "Did you call me?" followed by something else she says. Her name is a pun of the word "misanthrope" or by saying "eat it/miss and throw up."
 * Mr. Morty Fyde – Mr. Fyde was the science teacher at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School. Unlike all the other grown-ups in the school, he is rather dorky and stupid. The events of the first three books gradually cause him to believe himself is insane and resign from his job to put himself in a mental institution (but in the movie Mr. Krupp simply fires Fyde because he'd rather spend time with his family instead of judge the school science fair and Krupp considers this unacceptable). His name is a pun on the words "mystified" and "mortified." In the film, he is voiced by Mel Rodriguez and in the series he is voiced by Stephen Root, where he is released from the mental institution, though he becomes nervous around loud noise, which is unfortunate for Mr. Fyde; an elementary school is practically built on noise. One of Melvin's inventions accidentally fuses Mr. Fyde with an avocado pit belonging to George and Harold, turning him into a giant avocado monster named Avocadwoe that attacks everything that makes loud sounds. Mr. Fyde is planted by Captain Underpants and he is turned into an avocado tree in a peaceful forest behind the school, something that Mr. Fyde is content with.
 * Ms. Tara Ribble – Ms. Ribble is the homeroom teacher of George and Harold's 4th-grade class. In book 5, she is hypnotized into becoming Wedgie Woman. Her name is a pun on the words "terrible" and "miserable." Voiced by Dee Dee Rescher in the movie and Laraine Newman in the TV series.
 * Miss Singerbrains – Miss Singerbrains is the librarian at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School who banned all but one of the books in the library and eventually closed down the library. Her name is a pun on the saying "missing her brains".
 * Mr. Riles Rected – Mr. Rected is the guidance counselor at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School. He is very nasty to students, especially George and Harold, and he is often seen hanging with Mr. Krupp, Mr. Meaner, Miss Anthrope, and Ms. Ribble. His name is a pun on the word "misdirected." He is voiced by Brian Posehn in the film and Jorge Diaz in the animated series.
 * Ms. Dayken – Ms. Dayken is a member of the teaching board at Jerome Horwitz Elementary school. Her name is a pun on the word "mistaken". In the film, she is voiced by Susan Fitzer and was George and Harold's kindergarten teacher where she teaches about the planets, including "Uranus," which the boys found amusing.
 * Mr. Rustworthy – Mr. Rustworthy is (according to his tie) the music teacher of Jerome Horowitz Elementary school. His name is a pun on the word "mistrustworthy". In the series, he is replaced by a different music teacher, Ms. Herd (a pun on "misheard").
 * The Lunch Ladies – The Lunch Ladies are the three women who run the cafeteria. They are notorious for cooking horrible, inedible, and possibly lethal food. They quit in the third book when Mr. Krupp says he cannot punish George and Harold for their antics without proof, though they are possibly rehired after the replacements are revealed to be aliens. Two of the Lunch Ladies are Miss Creant, the head lunch lady, and Mrs. DePoint, the cook. The revealed names are puns on the word "Miscreant" and the phrase "Misses the point".
 * Doctor Diaper (known alternatively as Doctor Nappy in the UK) – A diaper-clad mad scientist and the first villain Captain Underpants ever faced.
 * The Talking Toilets – An army of living toilets created by George and Harold, who were accidentally brought into the real world with a modified photocopier. They could only say "Yum Yum Eat em Up!"
 * The Turbo Toilet 2000 – A giant toilet created by George and Harold, who was accidentally brought into the real world with a modified photocopier. After he was defeated by the Incredible Robo-Plunger, he and the other toilets were taken to Uranus where he remained for several books until being brought back to life by juice from the destroyed Robo-Plunger. In the film, it was now Melvin's invention that was grown by Poopypants with his size ray.
 * The Incredible Robo-Plunger – A giant robot created by George and Harold to defeat the Turbo Toilet 2000. Afterwards, he repaired the school and took all the toilets to Uranus where he remained for several books until he was hit on the head by a kickball kicked into space by the Harold 2000. He is then rebuilt by the revived Turbo Toilet 2000 into a rocket scooter so the toilet could return to earth.
 * Zorx, Klax, and Jennifer – Three space aliens who planned to invade Piqua, Ohio. They are the main antagonists of the third book. They disguised themselves as lunch ladies to turn the students of Jerome Horwitz Elementary School into Zombie Nerds by using Evil Zombie Nerd Juice.
 * The Dandelion of Doom – A dandelion that absorbed alien super evil rapid-growth juice, causing it to grow into a giant monster.
 * Tippy Tinkletrousers (formerly known as Professor Pippy Pee-Pee Poopypants, and in the film as Prof. Pee-Pee Diarrheastien Poopypants Esq.) – A scientist who comes from a foreign country where everyone has a silly name. In book 4, he forces everyone on earth to change their names into a silly one. After his defeat, Professor Poopypants changes his name, suggested by George rather than forcing everybody to change theirs. But Poopypants does not change his name to something normal, instead, he changes it to his grandfather’s name Tippy Tinkletrousers. In the film, he is voiced by Nick Kroll.
 * Wedgie Woman (Ms. Ribble) – A villain created by George and Harold who was based on their teacher Ms. Ribble. After a second mishap with the Hypno-Ring, it convinced her that she is Wedgie Woman. At first, she has no superpowers, but after her hairstyle gets splattered with superpower juice from the third book her hair transforms into arms and she gains super-intelligence.
 * Robo-George and The Harold 2000 – Two giant robots built by Wedgie Woman based on George and Harold. They were fully obedient to Wedgie Woman; each had a vast arsenal of powerful weapons and gadgets and were programmed to destroy Captain Underpants once they heard him say "Tra-la-laaa!"
 * The Bionic Booger Boy (Melvin Sneedly) – A fusion of Melvin Sneedly, boogers, and a super-powered robot. His growth is triggered by a field trip to a tissue factory.
 * Carl, Trixie and Frankenbooger (The Three Robo-Boogers) – Boogers who all come from the Bionic Booger Boy. They all share a weakness to oranges, which Captain Underpants successfully used to destroy the rampaging trio of living mucus. Carl had the Bionic Booger Boy's legs, Trixie had the tentacles, and Frankenbooger had the arms. Whenever they ate, they became bigger and more evil.
 * Evil George and Evil Harold – Alternative versions and negative counterparts of George and Harold from an alternate dimension who are both intelligent and evil. They are the main antagonists, along with Captain Blunderpants, of the 8th book in the series. They helped Captain Blunderpants and unlike the sketchy, amateurish George and Harold they are good authors and illustrators (ironically, the main George and Harold consider the alternative George and Harold's work inferior). Additionally, they also tended to change the signs into evil phrases (while their counterparts often change the signs into funny words).
 * Captain Blunderpants – The opposite and evil counterpart of Captain Underpants from an alternate dimension, who has a toupee and looks and acts more like Krupp, while the alternate Krupp is nice. His transformation process is the opposite; when water is splashed on him, he becomes the evil Captain Blunderpants and when someone snaps their fingers, he becomes the nice Mr. Krupp.
 * Kipper Krupp – A sixth-grade bully and Benjamin's nephew and Jasper Krupp's son, who would bully George, Harold, and other children when they were all in kindergarten. Due to a series of pranks that George and Harold conducted, he would eventually become nicer to the children along with his also mischievous friends Finkstein, Bugg, and Loogie.
 * Sir Stinks-A-Lot (Mr. Meaner) – Mr. Meaner later becomes the alter ego of Sir Stinks-A-Lot, an evil hypnotist. While in prison, Meaner transforms into a blob of pure energy after eating an egg salad sandwich. He later removes Captain Underpants's superpowers and the effects of the Hypno ring.

Novels
The main series of novels has developed a pattern of alliteration from the fourth book on. The third book's "annoyingly long" title became a running joke in subsequent books.

Novels 6–12 in the main series form one unbroken story, in which the ending of each of such novel except the last is a cliffhanger, and the next novel in sequence immediately picks up where the last one left off.

Captain Underpants novels

 * 1) The Adventures of Captain Underpants (1997)
 * 2) Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets (1999)
 * 3) Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space (and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom Zombie Nerds) (1999)
 * 4) Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants (2000)
 * 5) Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman (2001)
 * 6) Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets (2003)
 * 7) Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 2: The Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo-Boogers (2003)
 * 8) Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People (2006)
 * 9) Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Re-Turn of Tippy Tinkletrousers (2012)
 * 10) Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers (2013)
 * 11) Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000 (2014)
 * 12) Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot (2015)

Captain Underpants activity books

 * 1) The Captain Underpants Extra-Crunchy Book o' Fun (2001)
 * 2) The All-New Captain Underpants Extra-Crunchy Book o' Fun 2 (2002)
 * 3) The Captain Underpants Super Silly Sticker Studio (2005)

Captain Underpants spin-offs

 * 1) The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby (2002)
 * 2) The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future (2010) (out of print as of March 2021)
 * 3) Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers (2011)

Dog Man

Dog Man is a comedic graphic novel series created by Dav Pilkey as a full spin-off book series after Captain Underpants ended with its 12th entry. The book series centers around Dog Man, a new hero with the body of a police officer and the head of a dog sewed together. There are 12 books so far in the series. The latest book, Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder was released on March 19, 2024.

An animated film based on the comics is in development with a release date of January 31, 2025.

In 2020, ten Dog Man books (including one Cat Kid Comic Club, a spin-off) sold a total of over 3.8 million copies, 13% of the total comic book sales, as charted by BookScan. This does not include digital copies or any copy sold by Scholastic through school book fairs.

These books have been released or announced so far in the series: The series has its own spin-off series titled Cat Kid Comic Club, with five books released:
 * 1) Dog Man (2016)
 * 2) Dog Man: Unleashed (2016)
 * 3) Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties (2017)
 * 4) Dog Man and Cat Kid (2017)
 * 5) Dog Man: Lord Of The Fleas (2018)
 * 6) Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild (2018)
 * 7) Dog Man: For Whom The Ball Rolls (2019)
 * 8) Dog Man: Fetch-22 (2019)
 * 9) Dog Man: Grime and Punishment (2020)
 * 10) Dog Man: Mothering Heights (2021)
 * 11) Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under The Sea (2023)
 * 12) Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder (2024)
 * 13) Dog Man: Big Jim Begins (2024)
 * 1) Cat Kid Comic Club (2020)
 * 2) Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives (2021)
 * 3) Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose (2022)
 * 4) Cat Kid Comic Club: Collaborations (2022)
 * 5) Cat Kid Comic Club: Influencers (2023)

Captain Underpants collectors' editions

 * 1) The Adventures of Captain Underpants: Collectors' Edition (2005)
 * 2) Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets: Collectors' Edition (2007)
 * 3) Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space (and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally-Evil Lunchroom Zombie Nerds): Collectors' Edition (2008)

Captain Underpants collections

 * The Tra-La-La Riffic Captain Underpants Collection/The First Captain Underpants Collection (Books 1–4; 1997–2000)
 * Three More Wedgie-Powered Adventures in One (Books 4-6; 2006)
 * The Second Captain Underpants Collection/The Tra-La-Larious Captain Underpants (Books 5–7 & Super Diaper Baby; 2001–2003)
 * Captain Underpants: Three Pantastic Novels in One (Books 1–3; 1997–99)
 * The New Captain Underpants Collection (Books 1–5; 1997–2000)
 * The Tra-La-La Tremendous Captain Underpants Collection (Books 5–8; 2001–2006)
 * The Complete Captain Underpants Collection (Books 1–8; 1997–2006)
 * The Captain Underpants Collectors' Edition Collection (Books 1–3 + 3 CD-ROMs; 1997–1999, 2005–2008)

Captain Underpants in Full Color

 * The Adventures of Captain Underpants (2013; 25 1/2th Anniversary Edition, 2023)
 * Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets (2014)
 * Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space (and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom Zombie Nerds) (2014)
 * Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants (2015)
 * Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman (2017)
 * Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets (2018)
 * Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy Part 2: the Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo-Boogers (2018)
 * Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People (2019)
 * Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Re-Turn of Tippy Tinkletrousers (2019)
 * Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers (2020)
 * Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000 (2021)
 * Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot (2022) *

Potentially cancelled books
These books were reported "coming soon-ish" at the end of a few books. No further information or cancellation has been released since their tease.

 * The Captain Underpants Cartoon-O-Rama Book: Heroes, Villains, and Supercreeps (mentioned in Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People)
 * FrankenFart vs. The Bionic Barf Bunnies from Diarrhea Land (made appearances in Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People and Cat Kid Comic Club)
 * The Adventures of Ook and Gluk Jr: Kung-Fu Cavekids in Outer Space (likely to be completely cancelled due to the discontinuation of the first Ook and Gluk book)
 * Captain Underpants Presents: F.A.R.T.S. The Major Motion Picture (made appearances in Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers)

Controversy
According to the American Library Association, the Captain Underpants books were reported as some of the most banned and challenged books in the United States between 2000 and 2009 (13), as well as between 2010 and 2019. The books were named one of the top ten most banned and challenged books in 2002 (6), 2004 (4), 2005 (8), 2012 (1), 2013 (1), and 2018 (3). The Captain Underpants series was explicitly banned in some schools for "insensitivity, offensive language, encouraging disruptive behavior, LGBTQIA+ issues, violence, being unsuited to the age group, sexually explicit content, anti-family content, as well as encouraging children to disobey authority."

The American Library Association stated in a release by the National Coalition Against Censorship that "This year's #1 banned book, Captain Underpants... is the gift that keeps on giving. Why? Because these popular, silly books are read by parents, with their children, all over the country. The toilet humor makes parents roll their eyes and kids giggle. The absurdity of banning books to attack perceived moral problems is exemplified by this year's winner."

In October 2015, the 12th book received controversy due to a reference to Harold being gay. Some elementary schools have banned the book due to this.

On March 29, 2021, Pilkey and Scholastic announced that The Adventures of Ook and Gluk would be ceasing further publication due to its use of passive stereotypes towards Asians, which Pilkey stated to be, despite unintentional, "harmful to everyone". Pilkey also announced that he would be donating all royalties from the book to organizations dedicated to stopping violence towards Asians and Asian-Americans.

Hiatus
Although the first few books came out regularly, the ninth book, Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers (advertised in a teaser at the end of the eighth book), was not released until 2012, after a six-year wait. During this time, Dav Pilkey was caring for his terminally ill father, who died in 2008. In 2009, he signed a deal with Scholastic for four new books, the first of which was The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future, released August 10, 2010. The second was Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers, released June 28, 2011. The third book, Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers, was released August 28, 2012. The fourth book, Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers, was released January 16, 2013.

CGI-animated film adaptation
On October 20, 2011, it was reported that DreamWorks Animation had acquired rights to make an animated feature film based on the Captain Underpants series. On October 25, 2013, it was reported that Rob Letterman would direct the film, while Nicholas Stoller would write the script. It would have been the second film to have Letterman and Stoller working together, the first being Gulliver's Travels. On January 21, 2014, the cast was announced, with Ed Helms joining as Mr. Krupp/Captain Underpants; Kevin Hart as George Beard; Thomas Middleditch as Harold Hutchins; Nick Kroll as the insidious villain, Professor Poopypants; and Jordan Peele as Melvin, the nerdy nemesis of George and Harold. On June 12, 2014, the film was scheduled for release on January 13, 2017. Following DreamWorks Animation's reorganization in early 2015, the studio announced that the film would be produced outside of the studio's pipeline at a significantly lower cost. It would be instead animated at Mikros Image in Montreal, Canada, and it would look differently than most of DWA's films. A month later, Deadline reported that Letterman had left the project, and that David Soren, the director of Turbo, was in talks to direct the film, but Letterman returned to the project and served as an executive producer with Dav Pilkey. The film was expected to be released on March 10, 2017, but in September 2015, DreamWorks Animation's The Boss Baby took over its date. The film was released on June 2, 2017.

CGI-animated spin-off film
On December 9, 2020, it was announced that a Dog Man feature film is in development at DreamWorks Animation with Peter Hastings directing at the helm after his experience with Dav Pilkey's works from The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants. On October 6, 2023, the movie was confirmed to be released in 2025. On January 29, 2024, it was announced that the film will be released on January 31, 2025.

Television series
Dav Pilkey had looked to turn the books into a possible TV series, and he had imagined Chris Farley in the titular role. Around the same year the first book debuted to the public, Farley died of a drug overdose. Defunct animation studio Soup2Nuts also attempted to produce an animated series based on the books in the early 2000s.

DreamWorks Animation Television produced a television series based on the film that was streamed to Netflix. It was released on July 13, 2018.

Interactive special
In 2020, an interactive special called Captain Underpants Epic Choice-o-Rama was released on Netflix. The special involves Harold and George stopping Mr. Krupp from destroying their beloved treehouse.

Reception
Censors in the United States have been targeting the Captain Underpants series after the first book was released in 1997. The Office of Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association reported that Captain Underpants is the book series with the most complaints from libraries due to offensive content in the United States in 2012 and 2013. Several parents accused the book of having language inappropriate for the book's target audience, children enrolled in elementary schools.

Jessica Roake, in an article published in Slate, argued that the books are well suited for young readers. She wrote that "They're drawn to them because for the first time in their reading lives they are understood, entertained, and catered to all at once. It is theirs, not ours, and that feeling of exclusive ownership forges the kind of connection everyone should have with at least one book in their life. For that, most every English teacher of my acquaintance will be more than happy to take the shot to the ego the Captain provides."

The series has frequently been compared with the Horace Splattly series,    but not always positively.

The Captain Underpants spin-off series Dog Man received positive reviews from book critics. Darienne Stewart of Common Sense Media rated the first two books four stars out of five, saying that the first book Dog Man was "riotous, silly fun with soft touch by Underpants creator", and the second book, Dog Man: Unleashed has "half-man, half-dog, all-heart hero delights in silly sequel."

International publishing

 * Argentina: Scholastic
 * Australia: Scholastic
 * Austria: Ueberreuter (books 1–5, first translation), Panini (books 1–12)
 * Brazil: Cosac Naify (published all 12 books before closing its activities in 2015), Companhia das Letras (re-releases, 2017–present)
 * Canada: Scholastic
 * Catalonia: Editorial Cruilla
 * China: Nanhai Publishing Company
 * Croatia: Mozaik Knjiga
 * Czech Republic: Egmont, Baronet
 * Denmark: Forlaget Sesam, Carlsen
 * Egypt: Scholastic
 * Finland: Tammi
 * France: Le Petit Musc (books 1–4, first translation), Bayard Presse (books 1–6)
 * Germany: Ueberreuter (books 1–5, first translation), Panini (books 1–12)
 * Greece: Psichogios Publications, Modern Times S.A.
 * Hong Kong: Scholastic, Thinkingdom Children's Books, New Buds Publishing House
 * Hungary: Ulpius-Haz
 * Iceland: JPV Forlag (Captain Underpants), Bókafélagið (Dog Man)
 * India: Scholastic
 * Indonesia: Kompas Gramedia Group
 * Ireland: Scholastic
 * Israel: Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir
 * Italy: Edizioni Piemme (Captain Underpants), Salani (Super Diaper Baby)
 * Japan: Tokuma Shoten
 * Ryo Kasaka (木坂涼) is the Japanese translator of the book series.
 * Korea: Gimm-Young Publishers, Inc.
 * Latvia: Zvaigzne ABC
 * Lithuania: Alma littera
 * Mexico: Scholastic
 * New Zealand: Scholastic
 * Norway: Cappelen Damm (books 1-2, first translation), Schibsted Forlag (books 1-8), Vigmostad & Bjørke (from book 9 onwards)
 * Poland: Egmont, Jaguar
 * Portugal: Gradiva (Captain Underpants), Marcador (Dog Man)
 * Romania: Editura National, Art Grup Editorial
 * Russia: Machiny Tvoreniya Publishing
 * Saudi Arabia: Scholastic (not including the 12th novel due to an LGBT reference)
 * Slovenia: Založba Mladinska Knjiga
 * Spain: Ediciones SM
 * Sweden: Egmont Richters (books 1–6, first translation); Bonnier Carlsen (books 1–12)
 * Taiwan: Commonwealth, Thinkingdom Children's Books
 * Thailand: Pearl Publishing
 * Turkey: A.I. Iletisim/Altin Kitaplar
 * Ukraine: Krajina Mriy (Країна Мрій)
 * United Kingdom: Scholastic
 * Vietnam: Nha Nam Publishing

title: Captain Underpants


text:
1902 in sports

1902 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football
College championship
 * Rose Bowl (1901 season):
 * The Michigan Wolverines won 49–0 over the Stanford Indians to win the college football national championship
 * Michigan Wolverines – college football national championship

Professional championships
 * National Football League champions – Pittsburgh Stars
 * Ohio League champions – Akron East Ends

Events
 * 1 January — inaugural Rose Bowl game is played at Pasadena, California
 * September — the first professional football league, the National Football League (1902), which is unrelated to the current NFL, is formed from three teams based in Pennsylvania and who are backed by Major League Baseball. The league folds a few months later.
 * 21 November — the Philadelphia Football Athletics defeated the Kanaweola Athletic Club of Elmira, New York, 39–0, in the first ever professional American football night game.
 * 29 November — the Pittsburgh Stars defeated the Philadelphia Football Athletics, 11–0, at the Pittsburgh Coliseum, to win the 1902 National Football League championship.
 * 28 December — the Syracuse Athletic Club defeated the New York Philadelphians, 5–0, in the first indoor professional American football game, which was held at Madison Square Garden.

Association football
Brazil England Scotland Spain
 * Fluminense FC was founded in Laranjeiras area, Rio de Janeiro.
 * The Football League – Sunderland 44 points, Everton 41, Newcastle United 37, Blackburn Rovers 36, Nottingham Forest 35, Derby County 35
 * FA Cup final – Sheffield United 2–1 Southampton at Crystal Palace, London (replay following 1–1 draw at Crystal Palace)
 * 26 April — shortly after being saved from bankruptcy, Newton Heath changes its name to Manchester United
 * Scottish Football League – Rangers
 * Scottish Cup final – Hibernian 1–0 Celtic at Celtic Park
 * 10 March — foundation of Real Madrid as Madrid Fútbol Club

Athletics

 * Sammy Mellor wins the sixth running of the Boston Marathon.

Australian rules football
VFL Premiership
 * Collingwood wins the 6th VFL Premiership: Collingwood 9.6 (60) d Essendon 3.9 (27) at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
 * With a handful of exceptions, all VFL/AFL Grand Finals are played at the MCG from 1902

Baseball
National championship Events
 * National League championship – Pittsburgh Pirates
 * American League championship – Philadelphia Athletics
 * 23 April — infielder Lou Castro debuts with the Philadelphia Athletics in the American League as the first Latin-American to play in Major League Baseball
 * Winnipeg Maroons wins the inaugural Northern League Championship in the minor leagues

Boxing
Events Lineal world champions
 * Joe Gans wins the World Lightweight Championship by knocking out Frank Erne in the first round. Gans successfully defends the title five times by the end of the year.
 * 25 July — James J. Jeffries defeats Bob Fitzsimmons by an eighth-round knockout in San Francisco, Fitzsimmons failing in his bid to recover the World Heavyweight Championship
 * World Heavyweight Championship – James J. Jeffries
 * World Middleweight Championship – Tommy Ryan
 * World Welterweight Championship – Barbados Joe Walcott
 * World Lightweight Championship – Frank Erne → Joe Gans
 * World Featherweight Championship – Young Corbett II
 * World Bantamweight Championship – Harry Forbes

Cricket
Events England Australia India South Africa West Indies
 * No cricket is played in South Africa due to the Boer War.
 * Australia defeats England in The Ashes by 2 Tests to 1 after the first two Tests have been rained off. In one of the most famous Test series in history, the final three matches are full of drama with Victor Trumper scoring a century before lunch in the Third Test, Australia winning the Fourth Test by just 3 runs and England winning the Fifth Test by one wicket following a century in only 75 minutes by Gilbert Jessop.
 * County Championship – Yorkshire
 * Minor Counties Championship – Wiltshire
 * Most runs – Victor Trumper 2570 @ 48.49 (HS 128)
 * Most wickets – Wilfred Rhodes 213 @ 13.15 (BB 8–26)
 * Wisden Cricketers of the Year – Warwick Armstrong, Cuthbert Burnup, James Iremonger, James Kelly, Victor Trumper
 * Sheffield Shield – New South Wales
 * Most runs – Clem Hill 1035 @ 51.75 (HS 107)
 * Most wickets – Len Braund 62 @ 28.69 (BB 6–90)
 * Bombay Presidency – Europeans shared with Parsees
 * Currie Cup – not contested
 * Inter-Colonial Tournament – not contested

Figure skating
World Figure Skating Championships
 * World Men's Champion – Ulrich Salchow (Sweden)

Golf
Major tournaments Other tournaments
 * British Open – Sandy Herd
 * US Open – Laurie Auchterlonie, who becomes the first golfer to break 80 in all four rounds of the US Open
 * British Amateur – Charles Hutchings
 * US Amateur – Louis N. James

Horse racing
England Australia Canada Ireland USA
 * Grand National – Shannon Lass
 * 1,000 Guineas Stakes – Sceptre
 * 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Sceptre
 * The Derby – Ard Patrick
 * The Oaks – Sceptre
 * St. Leger Stakes – Sceptre
 * Melbourne Cup – The Victory
 * King's Plate – Lyddite
 * Irish Grand National – Patlander
 * Irish Derby Stakes – St. Brendan
 * Kentucky Derby – Alan-a-Dale
 * Preakness Stakes – Old England
 * Belmont Stakes – Masterman

Ice hockey
Stanley Cup
 * Winnipeg Victorias successfully defends the Stanley Cup, defeating Toronto Wellingtons in a Cup challenge by two games to nil in a best-of-three series
 * March – Winnipeg Victorias wins the Manitoba Hockey Association championship to retain the Stanley Cup
 * 1 March — Montreal HC wins the Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL) championship and challenges Winnipeg
 * 13–17 March — Montreal and Winnipeg play a best-of-three series for the Stanley Cup, Montreal winning by two games to one to claim the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1894

Motor racing
Paris-Vienna Trail Gordon Bennett Cup Circuit des Ardennes Great Britain
 * The Paris-Vienna Trail is run on 26–29 June over 990 km and won by Marcel Renault (France) driving a Renault in a time of 15:47:43. The race is in retrospect sometimes referred to as the VII Grand Prix de l'ACF.
 * The third Gordon Bennett Cup is run from Paris to Innsbruck and won by Selwyn Edge (Great Britain) driving a Napier 30hp.
 * The inaugural Circuit des Ardennes is run on 31 July 1902 in the vicinity of Bastogne. The total distance is 512.05 km (i.e., 85.34 km x 6 laps).  The winner is Charles Jarrott (Great Britain), driving a Panhard-Levassor 70 hp in a time of 5:53:39.
 * The first motor race in Great Britain is held at Bexhill-on-Sea with more than 200 entries.

Rowing
The Boat Race
 * 22 March — Cambridge wins the 59th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

Rugby league
Events England
 * Featherstone Rovers founded
 * Championship – Broughton Rangers
 * Challenge Cup final – Broughton Rangers 25–0 Salford at Athletic Grounds, Rochdale
 * Lancashire League Championship – Wigan
 * Yorkshire League Championship – Leeds

Rugby union
Home Nations Championship
 * 20th Home Nations Championship series is won by Wales

Speed skating
Speed Skating World Championships
 * Men's All-round Champion – none declared

Tennis
England France USA Davis Cup
 * Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Laurence Doherty (GB) defeats Arthur Gore (GB) 6–4 6–3 3–6 6–0
 * Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Muriel Robb (GB) defeats Charlotte Cooper Sterry (GB) 7–5 6–1
 * French Men's Singles Championship – Michel Vacherot (France) defeats Max Decugis (France) 6–4 6–2
 * French Women's Singles Championship – Françoise Masson (France) defeats P. Girod (France): details unknown
 * American Men's Singles Championship – William Larned (USA) defeats Reginald Doherty (GB) 4–6 6–2 6–4 8–6
 * American Women's Singles Championship – Marion Jones (USA) defeats Elisabeth Moore (USA) 6–1 1–0 retired
 * 1902 International Lawn Tennis Challenge – 3–2  at Crescent Athletic Club (grass) Brooklyn, United States

title: 1902 in sports


text:
1901 in sports

1901 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football
Professional championships
 * Western Pennsylvania Championship – Homestead Library & Athletic Club

Association football
England Hungary Peru Scotland
 * The Football League – Liverpool 45 points, Sunderland 43, Notts County 40, Nottingham Forest 39, Bury 39, Newcastle United 38
 * FA Cup final – Tottenham Hotspur 3–1 Sheffield United at Crystal Palace, London (replay following 2–2 draw at Crystal Palace).
 * Tottenham Hotspur is the first (and to date only) non-League club to win the FA Cup since the foundation of the Football League.
 * Brighton & Hove Albion FC founded.
 * Formation of the Hungarian Football Federation (i.e., the Magyar Labdarúgó Szövetség or MLSZ)
 * Alianza Lima, officially founded on February 15.
 * Scottish Football League – Rangers
 * Scottish Cup final – Hearts 4–3 Celtic at Ibrox Park

Athletics

 * Jack Caffery wins the fifth running of the Boston Marathon.

Australian rules football
VFL Premiership
 * Essendon wins the 5th VFL Premiership – Essendon 6.7 (43) d Collingwood 2.4 (16) at Lake Oval

Baseball
National championship Events
 * National League championship – Pittsburgh Pirates
 * American League championship – Chicago White Sox
 * The American League repudiates its minor status and competes with the National League as a second major league. The AL abandons four western cities for Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Boston. It signs about 30 prominent NL players before the season begins.
 * The National League violates its constitution in the summer and there will be no major-minor agreement until the 1903 season.
 * December – numerous minor leagues establish their own National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, commonly called Minor League Baseball (1902 to date).

Boxing
Events Lineal world champions
 * Barbados Joe Walcott wins the World Welterweight Championship. He is ranked by Nat Fleischer and Charley Rose as the #1 All-Time Welterweight; other sports personalities such as Tad Dorgan, Tom O'Rourke, Dan Morgan and Jimmy Johnston call him "the greatest pound for pound fighter who ever lived".
 * Young Corbett II wins the World Featherweight Championship, defeating "Terrible" Terry McGovern with a second-round knockout
 * The vacant World Bantamweight Championship is claimed first by Harry Harris, who fails to defend it and increases his weight, so making himself ineligible. The title is then awarded to Harry Forbes following his second-round knockout of Danny Dougherty
 * World Heavyweight Championship – James J. Jeffries
 * World Middleweight Championship – Tommy Ryan
 * World Welterweight Championship – William "Matty" Matthews → James "Rube" Ferns → Barbados Joe Walcott
 * World Lightweight Championship – Frank Erne
 * World Featherweight Championship – "Terrible" Terry McGovern → Young Corbett II
 * World Bantamweight Championship – title vacant → Harry Harris → title vacant → Harry Forbes

Cricket
Events England Australia India South Africa West Indies
 * No cricket is played in South Africa due to the Boer War.
 * County Championship – Yorkshire
 * Minor Counties Championship – Durham
 * Most runs – Bobby Abel 3309 @ 55.15 (HS 247)
 * Most wickets – Wilfred Rhodes 251 @ 15.12 (BB 8–53)
 * Wisden Cricketers of the Year – Len Braund, Charlie McGahey, Frank Mitchell, Willie Quaife, Johnny Tyldesley
 * Sheffield Shield – Victoria
 * Most runs – Clem Hill 620 @ 103.33 (HS 365*)
 * Most wickets – Jack Saunders 29 @ 17.13 (BB 6–70) and Joe Travers 29 @ 20.75 (BB 9–30)
 * Bombay Presidency – Parsees
 * Currie Cup – not contested
 * Inter-Colonial Tournament – Trinidad and Tobago

Figure skating
World Figure Skating Championships
 * World Men's Champion – Ulrich Salchow (Sweden)

Golf
Major tournaments Other tournaments
 * British Open – James Braid
 * US Open – Willie Anderson
 * British Amateur – Harold Hilton
 * US Amateur – Walter Travis

Horse racing
England Australia Canada Ireland USA
 * Grand National – Grudon
 * 1,000 Guineas Stakes – Aida
 * 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Handicapper
 * The Derby – Volodyovski
 * The Oaks – Cap and Bells II
 * St. Leger Stakes – Doricles
 * Melbourne Cup – Revenue
 * King's Plate – John Ruskin
 * Irish Grand National – Tipperary Boy
 * Irish Derby Stakes – Carrigavalla
 * Kentucky Derby – His Eminence
 * Preakness Stakes – The Parader
 * Belmont Stakes – Commando

Ice hockey
Stanley Cup
 * Winnipeg Victorias defeats defending champion Montreal Shamrocks in a Cup challenge, two games to nil
 * Winnipeg Victorias wins the Manitoba Hockey Association (MHA) title over the Winnipeg Hockey Club and successfully defends the Stanley Cup title
 * Ottawa Hockey Club wins the Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL) championship but declines to challenge Winnipeg for the Stanley Cup

Lacrosse
Events
 * Sir Donald Mann donates the Mann Cup.
 * Lord Minto, the Governor General of Canada, donates the Minto Cup.
 * Ottawa Capitals win the first Mann Cup and the first Minto Cup.

Motor racing
Paris–Berlin Trail Paris–Bordeaux Trail Gordon Bennett Cup Circuit du Sud-Ouest
 * The Paris–Berlin Trail is run on 27–29 June over 1105 km and won by Henri Fournier (France) driving a Mors in a time of 15:33:06. The race is in retrospect sometimes referred to as the VI Grand Prix de l'ACF.
 * The Paris–Bordeaux Trail is run on 29 May over 527.1 km and won by Henri Fournier (France) driving a Mors in a time of 6:10:44. The race incorporates the Gordon Bennett Cup (see below).
 * The second Gordon Bennett Cup is run from Paris to Bordeaux in conjunction with the Paris–Bordeaux Trail (see above) and won by Léonce Girardot (France) driving a Panhard-Levassor.
 * The Circuit du Sud-Ouest was run in Pau. Some anglophone sources wrongly call it the 'Pau Grand Prix'. This may stem from a mistranslation of the contemporary French sources such as the magazine La France Auto of March 1901. It was run in four classes around the streets of Pau. The Grand Prix du Palais d’Hiver was the name of the prizes awarded for the lesser classes ('Light cars' and 'Voiturettes'). The Grand Prix de Pau was the name of the prize awarded for the 'Heavy' (fastest) class. Thus Maurice Farman was awarded the 'Grand Prix de Pau' for his overall victory in the Circuit du Sud-Ouest driving a Panhard 24 hp. Additionally the Grand Prix du Palais d’Hiver (400 à 650 kg 'Light car' class) was awarded to Henri Farman (Darracq); the second Grand Prix du Palais d’Hiver for the under 400 kg Voiturettesclass was awarded to Louis Renault (Renault); the Prix du Béarn was awarded to Osmont in a 'De Dion' tricycle.

Rowing
The Boat Race
 * 30 March — Oxford wins the 58th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

Rugby league
England
 * Championship – not contested
 * Challenge Cup final – Batley 6–0 Warrington at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds
 * Lancashire League Championship – Oldham
 * Yorkshire League Championship – Bradford F.C.

Rugby union
Home Nations Championship
 * 19th Home Nations Championship series is won by Scotland

Speed skating
Speed Skating World Championships
 * Men's All-round Champion – Franz Frederik Wathén (Finland)

Tennis
England France USA Davis Cup
 * Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Arthur Gore (GB) defeats Reginald Doherty (GB) 4–6 7–5 6–4 6–4
 * Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Charlotte Cooper Sterry (GB) defeats Blanche Bingley Hillyard (GB) 6–2 6–2
 * French Men's Singles Championship – André Vacherot (France) defeats Paul Lebreton (France): details unknown
 * French Women's Singles Championship – P. Girod (France) defeats Leroux (France) (scores unknown)
 * American Men's Singles Championship – William Larned (USA) defeats Beals Wright (USA) 6–2 6–8 6–4 6–4
 * American Women's Singles Championship – Elisabeth Moore (USA) defeats Myrtle McAteer (USA) 6–4 3–6 7–5 2–6 6–2
 * 1901 International Lawn Tennis Challenge – walkover

Yacht racing
America's Cup
 * The New York Yacht Club retains the America's Cup as Columbia defeats British challenger Shamrock II, of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club, 3 races to 0

title: 1901 in sports


text:
1900 in sports

1900 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football
College championship
 * College football national championship – Yale Bulldogs

Professional Championships
 * Western Pennsylvania championship – Homestead Library & Athletic Club

Association football
England Germany Italy Olympic Games Scotland Uruguay
 * The Football League – Aston Villa 50 points, Sheffield United 48, Sunderland 41, Wolves 39, Newcastle United 36, Derby County 36
 * FA Cup final – Bury 4–0 Southampton at Crystal Palace, London.
 * German Football Association (i.e., the Deutscher Fußball-Bund or DFB) founded in Leipzig by representatives of 86 clubs (28 January).
 * FC Bayern Munich founded on 27 February as Schwabinger Bayern at a meeting in Munich's Gisela Restaurant by dissident players from a club called MTV 1879. The name was later changed to Bayern Roten (Reds).
 * Lazio of Rome officially founded on January 9.
 * Football at the 1900 Summer Olympics:
 * 1) Upton Park FC (Great Britain)
 * 2) Club Française (France)
 * 3) Université de Bruxelles (Belgium)
 * Scottish Football League – Rangers
 * Scottish Cup final – Celtic 4–3 Queen's Park at Ibrox Park
 * Formation of the Uruguayan Football Association (Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol or AUF)

Athletics

 * USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
 * Jack Caffery wins the fourth running of the Boston Marathon

Australian rules football
VFL Premiership
 * Melbourne Football Club wins the 4th VFL Premiership: Melbourne 4.10 (34) d Fitzroy 3.12 (30) at East Melbourne

Baseball
National championship Events
 * National League championship – Brooklyn Superbas
 * 1900 – Six cities, Boston, Detroit, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Chicago and St. Louis, agree to form baseball's American League.
 * The National League contracts from twelve to eight clubs in a circuit of eight cities that will persist through 1952.
 * The Western League takes the name "American League" and moves teams into Chicago and Cleveland. The Chicago White Stockings win the pennant in this one season under the new name and the old minor league status.

Boxing
Lineal world champions
 * World Heavyweight Championship – James J. Jeffries
 * World Middleweight Championship – Tommy Ryan
 * World Welterweight Championship – "Mysterious" Billy Smith → William "Matty" Matthews → Eddie Connolly → James "Rube" Ferns → William "Matty" Matthews
 * World Lightweight Championship – Frank Erne
 * World Featherweight Championship – George Dixon → "Terrible" Terry McGovern
 * World Bantamweight Championship – title vacant

Events
 * 11 May. After 23 rounds, James J. Jeffries knocks out James J. Corbett to retain the world heavyweight championship.

Cricket
Events England Australia India South Africa West Indies
 * Cricket is suspended in South Africa for the next three seasons on account of the Boer War.
 * Yorkshire completes the County Championship season unbeaten, the first time this has happened since the start of the official championship in 1890.
 * The Minor Counties Championship ends in a three-way tie between three future first-class clubs.
 * County Championship – Yorkshire
 * Minor Counties Championship – Durham, Glamorgan and Northamptonshire share the title
 * Most runs – K S Ranjitsinhji 3065 @ 87.57 (HS 275)
 * Most wickets – Wilfred Rhodes 261 @ 13.81 (BB 8–23)
 * Wisden Cricketers of the Year – R. E. Foster, Schofield Haigh, George Herbert Hirst, Tom Taylor, John Tunnicliffe
 * Sheffield Shield – New South Wales
 * Most runs – Victor Trumper 721 @ 72.10 (HS 208)
 * Most wickets – Monty Noble 37 @ 20.64 (BB 6–91)
 * Bombay Presidency – Europeans shared with Parsees
 * Currie Cup – not contested
 * Inter-Colonial Tournament – Barbados

Figure skating
World Figure Skating Championships
 * World Men's Champion – Gustav Hügel (Austria)

Golf
Major tournaments Other tournaments
 * British Open – John Henry Taylor
 * U.S. Open – Harry Vardon
 * British Amateur – Harold Hilton
 * British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship – Rhona Adair
 * US Amateur – Walter Travis
 * US Women's Amateur – Frances C. Griscom
 * Canadian Amateur Championship – George Lyon
 * Olympic Games (Men) – Charles Sands
 * Olympic Games (Women) – Margaret Ives Abbott

Horse racing
England Australia Canada Ireland USA
 * Grand National – Ambush II
 * 1,000 Guineas Stakes – Winifreda
 * 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Diamond Jubilee
 * The Derby – Diamond Jubilee
 * The Oaks – La Roche
 * St. Leger Stakes – Diamond Jubilee
 * Melbourne Cup – Clean Sweep
 * Queen's Plate – Dalmoor
 * Irish Grand National – Mavis of Meath
 * Irish Derby Stakes – Gallinaria
 * Kentucky Derby – Lieut. Gibson
 * Preakness Stakes – Jean Bereaud
 * Belmont Stakes – Ildrim

Ice hockey
Stanley Cup Other events
 * 12–16 February — Montreal Shamrocks successfully defends the Stanley Cup, defeating Winnipeg Victorias in a best–of–three series 2–1.
 * 5–7 March — Montreal Shamrocks defeats Halifax Crescents in a Cup challenge best–of–three series 2–0.
 * 10 March — Montreal Shamrocks wins the Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL) championship for the second successive season with a regular season record of 7–1.

Motor racing
Gordon Bennett Cup Paris-Toulouse-Paris Trail
 * James Gordon Bennett, Jr., owner of the New York Herald newspaper and the International Herald Tribune, establishes the Gordon Bennett Cup. He hopes that the creation of an international event will drive automobile manufacturers to improve their cars. Each country is allowed to enter up to three cars, which must be fully built in the country that they represent and entered by that country's automotive governing body. International racing colours are first established in this event.
 * The trophy is awarded annually until 1905, after which the Automobile Club de France (ACF) holds the first Grand Prix motor racing event on the Circuit de la Sarthe at Le Mans
 * The inaugural Gordon Bennett Cup (Paris to Lyon) is won by Fernand Charron (France) driving a Panhard & Levassor
 * The Paris-Toulouse-Paris Trail is run on 25–28 July over 1347 km and won by Alfred Velghe (France) driving a Mors in a time of 20:50:09. The race is in retrospect sometimes referred to as the V Grand Prix de l'ACF.

Olympic Games
1900 Summer Olympics
 * The 1900 Summer Olympics takes place in Paris but the Olympic status of the games is underplayed and many competitors do not realise that they have participated in the modern Olympics.
 * Women take part in the modern Olympics for the first time. The first sportswomen to compete in the games are Mme. Brohy and Mlle. Ohnier of France in croquet. The first female champion is Charlotte Cooper of Great Britain in tennis.
 * France wins the most medals (100), and the most gold medals (25).

Rowing
The Boat Race
 * 31 March — Cambridge wins the 57th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

Rugby league
England
 * Championship – not contested
 * Challenge Cup final – Swinton 16–8 Salford at Fallowfield Stadium, Manchester
 * Lancashire League Championship – Runcorn
 * Yorkshire League Championship – Bradford FC

Rugby union
Home Nations Championship
 * 18th Home Nations Championship series is won by Wales

Speed skating
Speed Skating World Championships
 * Men's All-round Champion – Edvard Engelsaas (Norway)

Tennis
Events England France USA Davis Cup
 * 9 February — Davis Cup competition is established, the inaugural competition being called the International Lawn Tennis Challenge and involving only Great Britain and the USA.
 * 15 August — Dwight F. Davis and Holcombe Ward win the first Davis Cup over Englishmen E.D.Black and H.R.Barett. (3-0, when the last match was halted by rain after Davis won the first set 9–7)
 * Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Reginald Doherty (GB) defeats Sydney Smith (GB) 6–8 6–3 6–1 6–2
 * Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Blanche Bingley Hillyard (GB) defeats Charlotte Cooper-Sterry (GB) 4–6 6–4 6–4
 * French Men's Singles Championship – Paul Aymé (France) defeats André Prévost (France): details unknown
 * French Women's Singles Championship – Hélène Prévost (France) wins: details unknown
 * American Men's Singles Championship – Malcolm Whitman (USA) defeats William Larned (USA) 6–4 1–6 6–2 6–2
 * American Women's Singles Championship – Myrtle McAteer (USA) defeats Edith Parker (USA) 6–2 6–2 6–0
 * 1900 International Lawn Tennis Challenge – 3–0  at Longwood Cricket Club (grass) Boston, United States

title: 1900 in sports


text:
1904 in sports

1904 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football
College championship
 * College football national championship – Penn Quakers

Professional championships
 * Ohio League championship – Massillon Tigers
 * Western Pennsylvania Championship – Latrobe Athletic Association

Events
 * 15 November — Canton Athletic Club (later renamed the Canton Bulldogs) is first established.

Association football
International Austria Brazil England Germany Portugal Scotland Sweden
 * World governing body FIFA is founded. The football associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland do not join at this time.
 * Formation of the Austrian Football Association (Österreichischer Fußball-Bund or ÖFB)
 * Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas was founded in Rio de Janeiro.
 * The Football League – The Wednesday 47 points, Manchester City 44, Everton 43, Newcastle United 42, Aston Villa 41, Sunderland 39
 * FA Cup final – Manchester City 1–0 Bolton Wanderers at Crystal Palace, London.
 * National Championship – competition is annulled by the DFB following a protest by Karlsruher FV that matches have not been played on neutral grounds as stipulated by the rules.
 * Benfica founded in Lisbon as the Grupo Sport Lisboa. In 1908, it merges with SC de Benfica to form Sport Lisboa e Benfica (SL Benfica).
 * Scottish Football League – Third Lanark
 * Scottish Cup final – Celtic 3–2 Rangers at Hampden Park
 * Formation of the Swedish Football Association (Svenska Fotbollförbundet or SvFF)

Athletics

 * Michael Spring wins the eighth running of the Boston Marathon.

Australian rules football
VFL Premiership
 * Fitzroy wins the 8th VFL Premiership – Fitzroy 9.7 (61) d Carlton 5.7 (37) at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)

Baseball
World Series Events
 * NL champion New York Giants refuses to participate in the 1904 World Series. Boston Americans repeat as American League champions.
 * 5 May — Cy Young of Boston Americans pitches a perfect game, the second of his three no-hitters. He goes on to complete 24 hitless innings, still the record, and 45 scoreless innings, a record broken by Jack Coombs in 1910
 * Duluth White Sox wins the Northern League championship

Boxing
Events Lineal world champions
 * 29 April — Barbados Joe Walcott meets Dixie Kid to defend the World Welterweight Championship and, though well on top, is disqualified by the referee after 20 rounds for an alleged foul. Kid claims the title but it is subsequently discovered that the referee has bet on Kid to win and so Kid's claim is widely disregarded.
 * 30 September — Walcott meets World Lightweight Champion Joe Gans in a non-title fight which is scored a draw after 20 rounds.
 * 17 October — Joe Bowker (England) challenges Frankie Neil in London for the World Bantamweight Championship and wins over 20 rounds, the first non-American to hold this title.
 * 31 October — Joe Gans meets Jimmy Britt in San Francisco to defend the World Lightweight Championship. Britt knocks Gans down four times but, after the last one in the fifth round, he hits Gans again before he has stood up and is disqualified for the foul.  Afterwards, Gans vacates the title which is awarded to Britt.  Two years later, Gans will claim that the fight has been fixed by his and Britt's managers.
 * 31 December — during a New Year celebration, Walcott accidentally shoots himself in the hand to effectively ending his days as a top prizefighter. While he will return to the ring in 1906 (losing his welterweight title in the process), he never regains his old form and loses most of his subsequent fights.
 * World Heavyweight Championship – James J. Jeffries
 * World Light Heavyweight Championship – Bob Fitzsimmons
 * World Middleweight Championship – Tommy Ryan
 * World Welterweight Championship – Barbados Joe Walcott
 * World Lightweight Championship – Joe Gans → Jimmy Britt
 * World Featherweight Championship – Abe Attell
 * World Bantamweight Championship – Frankie Neil → Joe Bowker

Cricket
England Australia India South Africa West Indies
 * County Championship – Lancashire
 * Minor Counties Championship – Northamptonshire
 * Most runs – Tom Hayward 3170 @ 54.65 (HS 203)
 * Most wickets – J T Hearne 145 @ 18.84 (BB 8–49)
 * Wisden Cricketers of the Year – Bernard Bosanquet, Ernest Halliwell, James Hallows, Percy Perrin, Reggie Spooner
 * Sheffield Shield – New South Wales
 * Most runs – Victor Trumper 990 @ 55.00 (HS 185*)
 * Most wickets – Wilfred Rhodes 65 @ 16.23 (BB 8–68)
 * Bombay Presidency – Parsees
 * Currie Cup – Western Province
 * Inter-Colonial Tournament – Trinidad and Tobago

Cycling
Tour de France
 * Henri Cornet (France) wins the Tour de France

Figure skating
World Figure Skating Championships
 * World Men's Champion – Ulrich Salchow (Sweden)

Golf
Major tournaments Other tournaments
 * British Open – Jack White
 * U.S. Open – Willie Anderson
 * British Amateur – Walter Travis
 * US Amateur – Chandler Egan

Horse racing
England Australia Canada Ireland USA
 * Grand National – Moifaa
 * 1,000 Guineas Stakes – Pretty Polly
 * 2,000 Guineas Stakes – St. Amant
 * The Derby – St. Amant
 * The Oaks – Pretty Polly
 * St. Leger Stakes – Pretty Polly
 * Melbourne Cup – Acrasia
 * King's Plate – Sapper
 * Irish Grand National – Ascetic's Silver
 * Irish Derby Stakes – Royal Arch
 * Kentucky Derby – Elwood
 * Preakness Stakes – Bryn Mawr
 * Belmont Stakes – Delhi

Ice hockey
Stanley Cup
 * January — Ottawa Hockey Club defeats Winnipeg Rowing Club to defend the Stanley Cup in a Cup challenge.
 * February — Stanley Cup champion Ottawa Hockey Club withdraws from the Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL) over a demand by the league to replay a game.
 * February — Ottawa defeats Toronto Marlboros in a Cup challenge.
 * 2 March — Ottawa plays Montreal Wanderers to a 5–5 tie in a Cup challenge, but Montreal refuses terms of continuation of series and defaults.
 * March — Quebec Bulldogs win the CAHL championship and demand the Stanley Cup, but the trustees rule the Cup stays with Ottawa. Quebec refuses to play Ottawa in a challenge.
 * March — Ottawa defeats the Brandon Wheat Kings 2 games to 0 in a Cup challenge.
 * 18 December — Dawson City Nuggets begin a 4,000 mile journey by dog sled to play the Ottawa Hockey Club in a Stanley Cup challenge scheduled for 13 January 1905.

Motor racing
Gordon Bennett Cup Circuit des Ardennes Vanderbilt Cup
 * Fifth running of the Gordon Bennett Cup takes place in the Taunus mountains in Germany. The winner is Léon Théry (France) driving a Richard-Brasier.
 * The third Circuit des Ardennes is run on 25 July over 591.255 km (118.251 km x 5 laps) in the vicinity of Bastogne. The winner is George Heath (USA) driving a Panhard-Levassor 70 hp in a time of 5:30:49.
 * William Kissam Vanderbilt II launches the Vanderbilt Cup at a course set out in Nassau County, New York on Long Island. It creates controversy in New York with numerous attempts made, including legal action, to try to prevent it taking place.  The inaugural race is run over a 30.24 mi course of winding dirt roads through Nassau County.  Several European drivers with experience of the Gordon Bennett Cup take part and the event is a huge commercial success.  The winner is George Heath (USA) driving a Panhard-Levassor 70 hp.

Olympic Games
1904 Summer Olympics
 * The third Summer Olympics took place in St. Louis, Missouri, United States.
 * Lacrosse was played at the Olympics for the first time.
 * The first Africans participated in the Olympics: two Tswana athletes competed at the St. Louis Games in the marathon.
 * The United States won the most medals (239) and the most gold medals (78).

Rowing
The Boat Race
 * 26 March — Cambridge wins the 61st Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

Rugby league
England
 * Championship – Bradford FC
 * Challenge Cup final – Halifax 8–3 Warrington at The Willows, Salford
 * Lancashire League Championship – not contested
 * Yorkshire League Championship – not contested

Rugby union
Home Nations Championship
 * 22nd Home Nations Championship series is won by Scotland

Speed skating
Speed Skating World Championships
 * Men's All-round Champion – Sigurd Mathisen (Norway)

Tennis
England France USA Davis Cup
 * Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Laurence Doherty (GB) defeats Frank Riseley (GB) 6–1 7–5 8–6
 * Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers (GB) defeats Charlotte Cooper Sterry (GB) 6–0 6–3
 * French Men's Singles Championship – Max Decugis (France) defeats André Vacherot (France) 6–1 9–7 6–8 6–1
 * French Women's Singles Championship – Kate Gillou (France) defeats Françoise Masson (France): details unknown
 * American Men's Singles Championship – Holcombe Ward (USA) defeats William Clothier (USA) 10–8 6–4 9–7
 * American Women's Singles Championship – May Sutton (USA) defeats Elisabeth Moore (USA) 6–1 6–2
 * 1904 International Lawn Tennis Challenge – 5–0  at Warple Road (grass) London, United Kingdom

title: 1904 in sports