Bill Russell comes up in 2 chapters across 2 episodes of The Higherside Chats Free Show, from September 2016 to September 2024.
J. Russell Smith, Tree Crops and Permaculture Origins
The concept of permanent agriculture is traced back to J. Russell Smith’s 1926 book, Tree Crops. Smith proposed using tree and shrub seeds for animal feed on hillsides to prevent erosion, reserving flat lands for human staple crops. This silvopasture system served as the foundational inspiration for Bill Mollison to later coin the term permaculture.
Sports Bribery Act, FBI Files on Hall of Famers
While the 1964 Sports Bribery Act made it a federal crime to bribe participants to alter game outcomes, it does not cover internal league manipulations or players fixing games on their own. Declassified FBI files obtained through the Freedom of Information Act suggest that legendary players like Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain may have gambled on their own games in the 1960s. The FBI often declined to investigate these matters, viewing themselves as outside the jurisdiction of league policy enforcement.
