#25: Go, Team!
Most cheerleading teams are all-female squads. But that wasn’t always the case. Cheerleading teams began in earnest for college football back in the 1880s. The cheer teams were all male pep squads. Women weren’t allowed to join. This was probably due to the fact that not many women (or any women at all) were allowed admission to these colleges and universities.
Things started changing in 1923 when women were officially allowed to join cheer and pep squads at the university level. The first female cheerleaders were at the University of Minnesota. Also, the Minnesota cheer team was the first squad to incorporate gymnastics and tumbles into their cheer routines. We have them to thank for the amazing and gravity-defying routines that so many squads do today.