25 Dec 1875: On the East Meadows, Hearts beat Hibs 1–0 in the first recorded Edinburgh derby — football in a public park, before leagues and professionalism. We set 1870s Scotland’s role in shaping the game, introduce the two clubs and the city’s identity split, relive the quirky first match detail (Hearts starting short-handed), then zoom out across 150 years: trophies, Europe, the derby record, and why this rivalry is one of football’s great long stories.

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