Sword fighting as sport has existed since ancient Egypt, and has
     been practiced in many forms in various cultures since then.
     Although jousting and tournament combat was a popular sport in
     the European middle ages, modern FIE fencing owes more to
     unarmoured duelling forms that evolved from 16th century Rapier
     Combat.

     Rapiers evolved from cut-and-thrust military swords, but were
     most popular amongst civilians who used it for self-defence and
     duelling.  Rapiers were edged, but the primary means of attack was
     the thrust.  Rapier fencing spread from Spain and Italy to
     northwest Europe, in spite of the objections of masters such as
     George Silver who preferred traditional cutting weapons such as the
     English broad sword.

     The Spanish school, under masters such as Narvaez and Thibault,
     became a complicated and mystical affair whose geometrical
     theories required much practice to master.  Italian masters like
     Agrippa and Capo Ferro developed a more pragmatic school in the
     late 16th and early 17th centuries, introducing innovations such
     as linear fencing and the lunge.

     By the 18th century, the rapier had evolved to a simpler,
     shorter, and lighter design that was popularized in France as the
     small sword.  Although the small sword often had an edge, it was
     only to discourage the opponent from grabbing the blade, and the
     weapon was used exclusively for thrusting.  The light weight made
     a more complex and defensive style possible, and the French
     masters developed a school based on defence with the sword,
     subtlety of movement, and complex attacks.  When buttoned with a
     leather safety tip that resembled a flower bud, the small sword was
     known as le fleur et, and was identical in use to the modern foil
     (still known as le fleur et in French).  Indeed, the French small
     sword school forms the basis of most of modern fencing theory.

     By the mid-19th century, duelling was in decline as a means of
     settling disputes, partially because victory could lead to a jail
     term for assault or manslaughter.  Emphasis shifted to defeating 
     the opponent without necessarily killing him, and less fatal 
     duelling forms evolved using the duelling sword, or epee de terrain, 
     an unedged variant of the small sword.  Later duels often ended 
     with crippling thrusts to the arm or leg, and fewer legal 
     difficulties for the participants.  This is the basis of modern 
     epee fencing.

     Cutting swords had been used in blood sports such as backsword
     prize fights at least as far back as the 17th century.
     Broadswords, sabres, and cutlasses were used extensively in
     military circles, especially by cavalry and naval personnel, and
     saw some duelling application in these circles as well.  Training
     was performed with wooden weapons, and stick fighting remained
     popular until Italian masters formalized sabre fencing into a
     non-fatal sporting/training form with metal weapons in the late
     19th century.  Early sport sabres were significantly heavier than
     the modern sport sabre and necessitated a strong style with the
     use of moulinets and other bold movements.  As with thrusting
     swords, the sabre evolved to lighter, less fatal duelling forms
     such as the Italian sciabola di terro and the German schlager.
     Hungarian masters developed a new school of sabre fencing that
     emphasized finger control over arm strength, and they dominated
     sabre fencing for most of the 20th century.

     Duelling faded away after the First World War.  A couple of
     noteworthy duels were fought over disputes that arose during
     Olympic games in the 1920s, and there have been rare reports of
     sword duels since then.  German fraternity duelling (mensur)
     still occurs with some frequency.

     The first modern Olympic games featured foil and sabre fencing
     for men only.  Epee was introduced in 1900.  Single stick was
     featured in the 1904 games.  Epee was electrified in the 1936
     games, foil in 1956, and sabre in 1988.  Early Olympic games
     featured events for Masters, and until recently fencing was the
     only Olympic sport that has included professionals.  Disruptions
     in prevailing styles have accompanied the introduction of
     electric judging, most recently transforming sabre fencing.  Foil
     fencing experienced similar upheavals for a decade or two
     following the introduction of electric judging, which was
     further complicated by the new, aggressive, athletic style coming
     out of eastern Europe at the time.

     Women's foil was first contested in the 1924 Olympic games, and
     Women's epee was only contested for the first time in 1996,
     although it has been part of the World Championships since 1989.
     Women's sabre made its first appearance in the 1998 World
     Championships as a demonstration sport, and will likely appear in
     the 2004 Olympics as part of a combined team event.