Timeless Fighting Spirit: Symbols and Events that shaped Muhammad Ali’s Legacy by Yann Kerblat

What makes Muhammad Ali so great? Nicknamed The Greatest, Muhammad Ali is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century. Back then, the boxer was popularly nicknamed “The Greatest,” which his wife then turned into G.O.A.T. (Greatest OF All Time) for publicity in the 1990s. In addition to being cited as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, other seminal developments took place outside the boxing ring. By crafting a dynamic biography of the boxer Muhammad Ali, this project weaves together different elements of his legacy to help the reader explore either horizontally or vertically the different facets of Muhammad Ali’s life. In addition to textual content, images of symbolic objects displayed at the Smithsonian as well as iconic pictures help to enhance the storytelling experience. Finally, this project juxtaposes his record-breaking boxing accomplishments with the significant social and political developments that characterized his era, without forgetting to include noteworthy artistic creations that were influenced by performances as well as by his sense of social justice. This interactive project blends data-driven visual representations (derived from his boxing accomplishments) with more cultural elements such as posters, archival photos or symbolic artefacts, and allows readers to read more about the different chapters of his life (for example by examining more closely iconic images or by clicking on a given period of interest). Almost all images were obtained through the Smithsonian Open Access API, narratives and boxing data were obtained through literature review.