2012 was not the first time London has hosted an
Olympic Games, nor was it even
the second. In fact, London became the first city to ever host a modern Olympics three times. In addition to that record, London also has
the honor of being the first city to host the Paralympics, which took place in
1948 for wounded war veterans.
The World’s Youngest Olympian
Dimitrios Loundras was a Greek gymnast who took part in the Athens Olympics held
in 1896. Young Dimitrios won a bronze medal for his efforts, and to this day he
still remains the youngest Olympic competitor and medalist on record. Even more
amazing, he was 10 years and 218 days old when he won his medal. That’s a lot
of pressure for a kid, but Dimitrios did just fine. Later in life he became an
admiral in the Greek Navy. Perhaps he held onto his medal when he was out to
sea, for good luck.
The First Olympics Ever Broadcast on Television
The 1936 Berlin
Olympics (also known as the ‘Nazi’ Olympics) were the first Olympic Games
to ever be televised. Before the advent of television, sports fans had to make due
with radio commentary, and before radios were ubiquitous, you could only read
about the results of the events in the newspaper.
These days,
giant screens and HD televisions let fans live vicariously through their
favorite athletes. Every glistening pore and bead of sweat can now be captured
on camera. Back in 1936, you could only get a fuzzy black-and-white image, but
that beat radio hands down if you happened to own a television and live in
Germany (there was no global television then). Worldwide Olympic television
broadcasts only became possible in the 1960s.
Gold Medals Aren’t Pure Gold
Names can be deceptive. Even though the top athlete in his or
her field wins the ‘gold,’ the medals aren’t really made out of solid gold. In fact,
they haven’t been pure gold for around 100 years.
The gold medals awarded now are
actually silver, with gold plating. That probably doesn’t matter to the
athletes who have dedicated their lives to winning one, as long as they aren’t
planning on melting the medal down and pawning it off.
London Hosted the First Opening Ceremonies
The opening ceremonies of the Olympics are a
pretty big deal nowadays. The city, and the nation chosen for the event invest
a lot of money and resources into creating a big fanfare and a huge spectacle.
(If you had the chance to see the opening ceremonies for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, you know what we’re talking about.) Well, the first few
Olympics of the modern era didn’t even have an opening ceremony. That only came into style with
the 1908 games, held in London. Cities have been trying
to outdo one another with elaborate ceremonies ever since.
The Ancient Greeks Competed in the Nude
In ancient Greece, athletes didn’t have to worry about
endorsements on their jerseys or shorts, because they weren’t wearing any.
That’s right, competitors back in the day had to strut around in the buff, and only men were allowed to compete.
Competitors often oiled
themselves up for looks, and as a tribute to the Gods. (The word “gymnasium”
comes from the Greek “gymnos,” which means “naked.”) Those unabashed Greeks
even worked out in the nude. Image the anxiety and preening that would cause in
a modern gym. At least you’d save some money on your workout clothes.
0 comments:
Post a Comment