July/August 2004 Editor's Note The History of Competition Recollections from the Ring Painter, writer, television producer, and fight doctor Ferdie Pacheco talks with NEH Chairman Bruce Cole. Fight of the Century A historic boxing match pits the son of a black Alabama sharecropper against a hero of the Third Reich. By Emmett Berg Playful Pursuits A new exhibition tells the story of how caravans, merchants, and mercenaries conveyed games from Asia to the West. By Janis Johnson The Nature of the Game Olympic combat events reflect the culture and customs of an ancient society. By Michael B. Poliakoff Literary Landmarks Isaac Bashevis Singer: Master Storyteller A rabbi's son takes his tales of the shtetl to America and wins a Nobel Prize. By Caroline Kim-Brown Hawthorne's Virtual Salem A website offers tools to explore the world of the nineteenth-century author. By Melanie Abrams We the People Teaching the Nation's History Scholars are approaching the founding of America in new ways. By Pauline Maier On Stage in Ancient Rome Recreating Pompey for Modern Eyes Archaeologists uncover a centuries-old theater complex. By Cynthia Barnes Around the Nation In Focus Christopher Rossi promotes Iowa history through documentary film. By Nikki Moustaki