title: Daredevils and early birds: Belgian pioneers in automobile racing and aerial sports during the belle époque.
abstract: During the belle époque, Belgium was a trend-setting nation in many domains, including motorised sports. Belgian automobile racers and pilots shattered world records and became international stars. Striking was the shift in sports. Indeed, around 1896, sporting members of the leisure class stepped from the bicycle into the automobile and, around 1908, from the automobile into the airplane. Although these motorised sports were extremely expensive, this article shows that sportsmen and sportswomen from the working class could achieve upward social mobility through their performances. The achievements of these motorised pioneers had a major impact and wide-ranging significance. They laid the foundations for the expansion of the automobile industry and the emergence of civilian and military aviation.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for the History of Sport and Kinesiology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ameye
authors.forename: Bieke
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gils
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Delheye
mesh_terms: D000401:Aircraft / Q000191:economics / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D000884:Anthropology, Cultural / Q000193:education / Q000266:history; D056352:Athletes / Q000193:education / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000208:ethnology / Q000266:history; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000193:education / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D001530:Belgium / Q000208:ethnology; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012937:Social Mobility / Q000191:economics / Q000266:history; D013177:Sports / Q000191:economics / Q000193:education / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D019876:Sports Equipment / Q000191:economics / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans