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First European Immigrants came to the New World
The Native Americans came into contact with people outside of their own tribes for the first time. This would prove to affect physical education, exercise, and sport, as many new ideas and beliefs were introduced to them. -
Charles Beck introduced Jahn's gymnastic program
Beck introduced German gymnastics to his students at Round Hill School. Beck built an outdoor gymnasium and started the first gymnastics program. -
Charles Follen
Charles Follen organized exercise classes based on the German system. This was the first real program at the college level, as this took place at Harvard University. -
Catharine Beecher
Beecher developed and implemented a program of physical education within the educational curriculum of school. Her program consisted mainly of calisthenics performed to music. -
Intercollegiate Competition
The first intercollegiate competition took place in 1852. The event was a crew race between Harvard and Yale. -
Dioclesian Lewis
Lewis developed the Lewis system of "light" gymnastics. His program included exercises to improve people's cardiovascular system. -
Normal Institute for Physical Education
Lewis established the Normal Institute for Physical Education in 1861. This was the first teacher training program of PE in the United states. It consisted of anatomy and physiology, hygiene, and gymnastics courses throughout a 10-week period. -
California
California was the first state to require schools to offer physical education. This led to physical education becoming a part of the curriculum of many states. -
AAPE
The AAPE was formed in 1885, which marked a significant step in the development of physical education. This led to the formation of today's American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, which is the basis of physical education in today's schools. -
Modern Olympics
The first modern Olympics took place in 1896 in Athens. This paved the way for the Olympic games today, which is a worldwide competition among athletes. -
Clark Hetherington
Hetherington created the four main objectives of physical education. The four objectives were organic development, psycho motor development, character development, and intellectual development. -
Women in PE
Due to World War I, many women sought the opportunity to become involved in PE. As a result, they became involved in many of the nations PE programs to carry out the jobs of the men, who were fighting in the war. This paved the way for their participation in PE and sports today. -
Great Depression
The Great Depression took its toll on physical education and its development. Many budgets were cut, which caused many school physical education programs to be dropped. -
National Athletic Trainers' Association
In 1950, this associated was created to treat athletes injuries and design programs to prevent injuries. This allowed athletes to play longer at a high level. -
Title IX
Title IX was passed in 1972. This law stated that, "no person in the United States shall on the basis of sex be excluded from participation in, be denied the benfits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." -
Fitness Gram
In 2012, Fitnessgram was adopted. Shape America, which is the new version of AAHPERD, endorses Fitnessgram by offering professional development opportunities.