Week 26: How did Parisians get 'live' news from the Dempsey - Carpentier fight in New Jersey?

100 years ago this week: Week 26

One of the biggest and longest running stories of 1921 came to a dramatic conclusion in the first weekend of July. 5700km from Paris, boxer and local favourite Georges Carpentier took on American heavyweight champ Jack Dempsey, but Parisians still found ways to follow the fight almost blow by blow. How did they manage to stay up-to-date in a pre-radio era, and how did the fight revolutionise sports coverage in the world?

Read on to find out.

Week 25: Explosion in the cocaine trade

100 years ago this week: Week 25

The end of World War One brought peace and a return to normality, but for the press and the medical profession, a new menace to society was on the horizon - cocaine. Traffic and consumption were growing rapidly throughout France, and the police and judicial system were seemingly completely out of step with this new reality. What was the actual situation, where was this trade coming from and who were the consumers?

Read on to find out.

Week 24: The invention that didn't take off

100 years ago this week: Week 24

In the early decades of the twentieth century, pulling away from the gravitational pull of our planet and taking to the skies became an obsession. Convential aviation was developing at an incredibly rapid pace, but a number of dreamers also believed they could be at one with the birds using just their own strength and a bit of home engineering. One champion cyclist managed to go further than anyone had ever been before, but still made it nowhere near the stars.

Fasten your seatbelts  and read on.

Week 23: Georges Carpentier, champion boxer and maker of pots and pans

100 years ago this week: Week 23

In June 1921, French World Champion boxer Georges Carpentier was preparing for the biggest fight of his life - a world title combat in the USA against local favourite Jack Dempsey. The forthcoming confrontation had given Carpentier immense star power in France, with his life story being serialised in the press, as well as some rather unexpected commercial opportunities.

Seconds out...read on