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The First Modern Olympics
The first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. The man that was responsible for it's rebirth was a Frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who presented the idea in 1894. -
The First Olympic Champion
James B. Connolly was a 27-year-old freshman at Harvard University when he left school to participate in the Games of the First Olympiad in Athens in 1896. On 6 April 1896, James Connolly won the triple jump and became the first champion of the modern Olympic Games and the first in nearly 1500 years. -
First Female Competitors 1900
Women were never allowed to compete in the Olympics until the Paris Games in 1900, when their participation in lawn tennis and golf events secured a position for female athletes in future Games.
The London 2012 Olympics signifies a new gender milestone with the debut of Women's Boxing, and it will also be the first Games in Olympic history with female athletes from every competing country. -
First Televised Games 1960
Germany hosted the 1960 Summer Olympics at Berlin. These games were televised by two German firms, Telefunken and Fernseh, the using RCA and Farnsworth equipment, respectively. This marked the first live television coverage of a sports event in world history. Both systems broadcast at 180lines and 25frames per second. Four different areas were telecast using three cameras. In total, 72 hours of live transmission went over the airwaves to special viewing booths, called "Public Television Offices" -
First Indigenous Olympian
Australia has been represented by 43 Indigenous athletes at the Summer Olympic Games. The Tokyo Games in 1964 was the first with Michael AhMatt representing in Basketball, and Adrian Blair and Francis Roberts in Boxing. -
North And South Korea March Together For The First Time
In a short-lived moment of alliance, North and South Korea marched together for the first time in Sydney's opening ceremony. Rather than carry their respective national flags, the North and South Korean teams (in identical uniforms) joined hands and waved a unification flag featuring a blue map of Korea. -
Michael Phelps' Amazing Wins
Michael Phelps gave new meaning to blowing the competition out of the water at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The American swimmer took home eight gold medals, breaking Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in one Olympics. And if the math that was done, counting his six golds from Athens and four more from London, he's at 18 golds and 22 (Possibly 23) total medals over four career trips to the Olympics. -
Steven Bradbury's Incredible Unexpected Win
Of all Australia’s victories in the Olympic Games, undoubtedly the most bizarre was that of Steven Bradbury in the 1000m short-track speed skating final at the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Games. Bradbury, whose gold medal was the first ever won by an Australian at the Winter Olympics, was dubbed “the Accidental Hero” after his four rivals all collided, tumbled and sprawled around the ice, leaving him to skate alone past the finish line. -
Swimmer, Eric Moussambani Came Last, But Never Gave Up
Eric Moussambani competed in the 100 metre swimming event in the 2002 Olympic Games. The other two competitors had a false start, so Eric Moussambani had to compete alone, and had to beat the qualifying time, 1min 10sec. to be able to go to the next round. Sadly, the time he finished in was 1min 52.72sec. Eric had only just taught himself how to swim, by practicing in a pool at a hotel that was approximately 13 meters long for just 8 months. He never gave up, and was still very proud. -
Joannie Rochette's Emotional Win
In perhaps one of the most emotional moments to hit the Olympic stage, Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette competed in front of millions in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics just four days after losing her mother to a sudden heart attack. And not only did she perform incredibly well, she won the bronze, dedicating the medal to her mother.
