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Jim Thorpe Wins Two Gold Medals
Jim Thorpe competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics winning the decathlon and pentathlon. -
Electric Timing First Used
Electric timing was first used in 1912 making times much more accurate and reliable. -
1916 Games Cancelled
The 1916 Olympics were cancelled due to World War I. The games were scheduled to be held in Berlin, Germany. -
First Winter Olympics
The first ever winter Olympics were held in 1924 in Chamonix, France from January 25 to February 4. -
First Olympic Torch Lit
The Olympic torch was lit for the first time during the opening ceremony of the 1928 summer Olympic games. -
First Olympic Village
The first Olympic village was built to house athletes in 1932 for the games in Los Angeles. Women, however, didn't have a village.
Picture is layout for 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics -
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics were held in Berlin, Germany, under the control of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. Many Jews and Gypsies were unable to compete in the games because of the prejudice Nazis. A large percentage of the athletes in the United States boycotted the Olympics and did not attend. -
Jesse Owens at the 1936 Games
Jesse Owens won four gold medals in track and field events at the 1936 Summer Olympic games in Berlin. -
1940 and '44 Games Cancelled
The 1940 and 1944 Olympic games were cancelled due to WWII. The 1940 games were scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Japan, and the 1944 games were supposed to be in London, England. -
First Televised Olympics
The Olympics were first televised during the winter games in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy in 1956. The effects of television greatly altered the flow of the Olympics with additions of cameramen and Jumbo-Trons. -
Mark Spitz Sets Record
The American swimmer, Mark Spitz, shocked the Olympic world with a record seven gold medals, a record held for over 30 years. -
Terrorists Attack Olympic Village
On September 5, 1972 a group of Arab terrorists broke into the Israeli compound in Munich, Germany killing two athletes and holding nine others hostage. They wanted the release of over two hundred Arabs from Israeli prisons. All nine hostages were killed and eight of the nine terrorists were either killed or captured. -
United States Boycott
The United States refused to participate in the 1980 Olympics due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. -
1984 Olympics
The 1984 summer Olympics set a record in attendance at 5.8 million people. It also set a record for most gold medals won by one country at one Olympics by the United States with 83. -
Scandals in Seoul
The '88 games in Seoul, South Korea, were affected by scandals. Ten athletes were disqualified due to failed drug tests and Korean boxers and judges were suspended due to biased opinions in fights. -
The "Dream Team"
1992 was the first year to allow professional basketball players to compete in the Olympics. The “Dream Team” consisted of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson as well as other NBA stars. They easily won the gold and were inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. -
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps made America proud by winning eight gold medals at the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing, China. -
Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt gained the title of the "World's Fastest Man" by setting the world records for the 100m and 200m meter sprints. -
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics
There were 43 new world records and 132 new Olympic records set at the 2008 Summer Olympics. This made the Beijing Olympics one of the most watched in history. -
London Olympics
The London Olympics in 2012 are expected to have 204 countries and over 10,000 athletes competing.
