Was Jim Thorpe One of the Greatest Athletes of All Time?

Photo illustration: Humanizing History Visuals. Photo: Harris & Ewing, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Welcome to Humanizing History™! Every month, we feature a central theme. Each week, we dive into different areas of focus.

In an upcoming newsletter, we’ll examine the life of Jim Thorpe. Born in the late 1880s, and orphaned by the time he was a teenager, Jim Thorpe (whose birth name was Watha Huck, or Bright Path) would have to continuously overcome obstacles to work as a professional athlete. And yet, he became an Olympic gold medalist for decathlon, an NFL football player, a Major League Baseball player, and he often did it without training or consistent equipment. Could Jim Thorpe be considered one of the greatest athletes of all time?

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