Buzz
This entry marks the third installment in a trilogy, beginning with Top 10 Intense Three-Way Rivalries, published on November 16, 2010, and followed by 10 More Intense Three-Way Rivalries, released on March 19, 2011. If you haven't read those earlier parts yet, feel free to check them out.
Following the conclusion of the second list, it seemed only fitting to create a third and final edition to tie up the loose ends and complete the trilogy. Additionally, I'd like to introduce a new term: 'Trivalry.' It captures the essence of a rivalry involving three sides. I hope you enjoy and gain fresh insights from this last installment of intense three-way rivalries.
10. Golfers
In the professional world of golf, there are several legendary names: Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods, just to name a few. However, these golfing greats rarely faced off against each other in their prime. To discover a true golf trivalry, we must look back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when Harry Vardon, John Henry Taylor, and James Braid clashed on the course. This legendary trio, known as the 'Great Triumvirate,' collectively claimed 16 Open Championships between 1894 and 1913, often narrowly besting one another. (At that time, the Open Championship, or the British Open, was the only significant 'major' tournament. The U.S. Open was considered less prestigious, The Masters had not yet been established, and the PGA Tour did not exist.)
Harry Vardon, from Jersey, triumphed over John Henry Taylor in a 36-hole playoff at the 1896 Open Championship for his first victory, and would eventually win six Open titles, a record that remains unbroken to this day. He also secured the U.S. Open title in 1900, edging out Taylor by 2 strokes. James Braid, a Scotsman, clinched five Open victories starting in 1901. In addition to his golfing skill, Braid was an accomplished course designer, credited with popularizing the dog-leg hole, where the line-of-sight from tee to green is not direct. John Henry Taylor, an Englishman, also claimed five Open titles and was a successful course designer like Braid.
9. Renaissance Masters
During the early 16th century in Italy's High Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci became the epitome of a polymath, excelling in both science and art. His masterpieces, the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, remain two of the most renowned and scrutinized paintings in history. Michelangelo, younger than Leonardo and often seen as his rival, was a genius in his own right, particularly known for painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling (which stirred controversy), and for his work in sculpture and public architecture. Sadly, despite their shared genius, these two great minds harbored a strong disdain for each other, the reasons for which remain best understood by art history experts.
Much like Michelangelo's role to Leonardo, Raphael emerged as a bright new talent eager to secure prestigious commissions from the influential elites of Florence and Rome. While his works reveal clear influences from both Leonardo and Michelangelo, it was Leonardo’s style that had the stronger impact on Raphael, which only deepened Michelangelo's animosity toward both artists. During his lifetime, Raphael arguably gained greater admiration and esteem than either of his predecessors, which is remarkable given Michelangelo's legendary status as 'The Divine.' However, in later years, Raphael’s place in the historical hierarchy fell slightly behind the other two masters.
For those curious, Donatello, a sculptor from an earlier period, was certainly a fine artist in his own right, but his influence and body of work don’t quite match the scope of the other three. On a related note, a modern-day rivalry can be observed among advocates of oil, acrylic, and watercolor paints.
8. The Battle at Kruger
The Battle at Kruger refers to a viral, roughly 8-minute YouTube video from 2007, where a herd of buffalo, a pride of lions, and a crocodile battle in an African wildlife park. Captured by a tourist with a camcorder, the video shows the animals fighting over a baby buffalo, with the lions and crocodile trying to claim it, while the adult buffaloes attempt to rescue it.
The video quickly went viral, garnering millions of views, and won the YouTube Video Award for Best Eyewitness Video. But to truly understand the incredible scene, you’ll need to watch it for yourself.
7. SANZAR Rugby Teams
In my initial list of three-way rivalries, I featured matchups from American college football (Florida, Florida State, and Miami) and European football clubs (AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Juventus). After receiving some excellent suggestions, it was clear that a rugby rivalry should also be included, highlighting one of the world’s great football sports.
The rivalry between South Africa's Springboks, New Zealand’s All Blacks, and Australia’s Wallabies is an intense battle between three nations with colonial British roots in the southern hemisphere. These teams compete annually in the Tri Nations tournament, and at the time this list was created, they were ranked #1, #2, and #3 in the world by the IRB.
The Springboks last claimed the Rugby World Cup in 2007. However, as reigning champions, they were knocked out by Australia in the 2011 tournament. They had also famously won the Cup in 1995, in a tournament they hosted after being excluded from the first two due to political issues. That year, they defeated Australia in the Group Stage and New Zealand in the Final. The story was later dramatized in the film *Invictus*, starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela.
Australia currently holds the title of champion of the Tri Nations championship (the last played in 2011) and is also the holder of the Mandela Challenge Plate, which they have been competing for against South Africa since 2000. On the other hand, New Zealand is the reigning Rugby World Cup champion, having defeated Australia in the semi-final as hosts in October 2011. Furthermore, New Zealand has enjoyed significant success in the Tri Nations, winning the title 10 times over its 16-year history.
6. Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Adventists
The historical conflicts between the major monotheistic religions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are well-documented and often quite intense. Within these religions, there are notable internal divisions, such as Sunni and Shia in Islam, Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants within Christianity, and even further distinctions within Protestantism, including Lutherans, Methodists, and Baptists.
However, for a more distinct three-way rivalry, we can turn to the 19th-century “cult” movements: Mormonism (Latter-Day Saints), Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Seventh-Day Adventism. These three groups, known for their strong missionary efforts, engage in lively debates on scripture that play out on porches and street corners worldwide, solidifying their place in this unique trivalry.
Theologically speaking, it is intriguing how much the beliefs of these groups overlap, even though they seem to diverge so sharply. For instance, Jehovah's Witnesses hold that in the afterlife, good and virtuous individuals (essentially themselves) will live in a terrestrial paradise, but not in the presence of God. Mormons, on the other hand, believe that they will reside in a celestial paradise with God, while the wicked (basically everyone but them) will live outside God's presence in a terrestrial paradise. Either way, the ultimate fate of the Mormons remains unchanged.
5. War of the Three Henrys
The French Wars of Religion were a series of bloody conflicts that took place in late 16th-century France during the Reformation. Throughout these wars, three distinct coalitions emerged, each led by a man named Henry, thus giving the conflict its name: the War of the Three Henrys.
The three Henrys in question were: Henry III, King of France, who led the Royalists; Henry of Navarre, who commanded the Protestant Huguenots with support from Scottish allies; and Henry I, Duke of Guise, who headed the Catholic League with Spanish backing. While the history behind these events is complex, it can generally be assumed that the central issue at hand was control over wealth. By the time the conflict concluded, Henry I had been killed by Henry III’s guards, and Henry of Navarre emerged as Henry IV of France.
Interestingly, this isn't the only historical conflict to carry the same name. Another, spelled slightly differently, also called the War of the Three Henries, took place during the Middle Ages in or around Bavaria. This conflict saw two dukes and a bishop (all named Henry) rise up against the Holy Roman Emperor Otto II. However, the rebellion was swiftly quelled.
4. Thor, Captain America & Iron Man
In the 2012 Marvel blockbuster, The Avengers, three incredibly powerful figures engage in a dramatic clash of egos. The iconic battle takes place in a plane/mountain setting, involving Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man. As the fight unfolds, the outcome is uncertain, but the intensity of the conflict makes it memorable. Thor is a hammer-wielding Norse demigod, Captain America a justice-driven super-soldier armed with an indestructible shield, and Iron Man a billionaire playboy who lives by his own rules. The battle is as intense as it is brief.
3. U.S. Presidential Politics
The United States was founded on the idea of a government with divided powers, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been fierce competition for influence. American politics has long been dominated by rivalries, and in some cases, rivalries within rivalries (or trivalries), especially when it comes to the pursuit of the presidency. The Constitution sets up a framework where two political parties often dominate elections, a system that continues to this day (with the exception of the Tea Party). However, there have been three distinct moments in U.S. history that defy this pattern: 1856, 1912, and 1948. These three elections are worth a closer look.
In 1856, James Buchanan of the Democratic Party defeated John C. Fremont of the Republican Party and former president Millard Fillmore, who was running under the Know-Nothing Party. Buchanan’s presidency is often criticized as one of the worst in American history (Mytour ranks him at #2). His time in office saw the secession of South Carolina and the beginning of the American Civil War. Fortunately, Abraham Lincoln, who is almost universally regarded as the greatest U.S. president, won in 1860, in a four-way race.
In 1912, Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat, triumphed over incumbent Republican William Taft, and former president Theodore Roosevelt, who ran as a candidate for the Progressive or ‘Bull Moose’ Party.
In 1948, Harry Truman, the sitting president, defeated Thomas Dewey and Strom Thurmond in what is often called the greatest electoral surprise in U.S. history. This was mainly due to Thurmond, who ran for the ‘States’ Rights Democratic Party’ (better known as the ‘Dixiecrats’)—a move that was expected to siphon votes away from Truman. Despite this, Truman managed to secure a narrow win, even though he wasn’t particularly popular at the time.
In the past few decades, the most notable instances of third-party influence in U.S. presidential elections likely occurred in 1992, when independent candidate Ross Perot secured 19% of the popular vote, a strong performance that still fell short of winning any electoral votes, which ultimately determines the outcome. Another key example came in 2000, when Ralph Nader of the Green Party, despite garnering less than 3% of the national vote, arguably swayed the results. In Florida, Nader obtained 97,488 votes, many of which would almost certainly have gone to Al Gore, whose loss in the state by just 537 votes (less than 1% of 1%) handed George W. Bush the state’s 25 electoral votes and, with them, the presidency. Since that time, third-party candidates have seen a significant decline in popularity.
2. Any 3 Local News Teams
This concept is fairly straightforward, but in a society that is truly free and open (which is not always the case), the competition to become the dominant news source can be viewed as a form of natural selection at its most extreme. A particularly comical and violent portrayal of this was seen in the 2004 Will Ferrell film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, where, as Burgundy himself puts it, the situation 'escalates quickly.'
Much like the rivalries among Renaissance painters, the resulting competition benefits the public by fostering greater integrity and trust. However, it also often leads to the unfortunate inclusion of less-than-professional distractions, such as the weather girl’s cleavage.
1. Triangular Rivalries in Physics
The natural world is full of three-way conflicts that govern the balanced operation of the universe. Unlike other rivalries, these are often less conspicuous, happening in subtle, constant ways that we don't always notice. They don't aim for victory, but rather to create a harmonious equilibrium.
Take the three fundamental forces for example: Gravity (the attraction between masses), Electromagnetism (the interaction of charged particles), and Nuclear Force (the force binding the components of an atom). Without these forces working together, even the light from stars would be impossible.
Another instance involves the forces acting on an object at rest on an inclined plane: Vertical Gravity (pulling the object straight down), Normal Force (exerted by the slope at a right angle to the surface), and Frictional Force (acting along the slope to resist movement).
Author's note: I must confess that physics is not my area of expertise; in fact, it was the one subject where I received an F. So, please forgive any oversimplifications, and feel free to use the comments to add or correct anything if you're inclined to do so.
