Extreme ironing was first invented in 1997 by Phil Shaw in Leicester, England. After coming home from a long day’s work, he still had chores to do, one of which was ironing. He would rather have gone rock climbing, so he decided to combine the two, and extreme ironing was born. This sport combines a mundane and tedious chore with the adventure and dangers of the outside world. In extreme ironing, “ironists” take their ironing boards to the most remote places on earth such as the ocean, mountaintops, motorways, and rainforests. There are five main sections of extreme ironing: urban, water, forest, lauda, and freestyle. The freestyle section is for anyone, anywhere, and therefore is not as extreme as the others, making it the most popular of the sections. The other sections are based on locations including fast flowing rivers, broken cars, and the top of trees. In 2002, Phil Shaw went on an international tour through New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Fiji, and America, which would become the first Extreme Ironing World Championship. There are now over 1,500 professional extreme ironists in the world. Extreme ironing is a one of a kind sport that’s not for everyone, but is beloved by the few that play it.