LibGuides: Jesse Owens: History of the Olympics

History of the Olympics

Britannia rules the games The article discusses the history of the modern Olympic Games, particularly examining England's influence. It comments on several individuals involved in establishing the event, including English surgeon and educationalist Dr. William Penny Brookes, French educationalist and historian Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin, and English athlete and politician William Henry Grenfell, 1st Baron Desborough. The author examines the Olympic Games held in London, England in 1908 and 1948 and comments on the impact of World War II. Earlier sporting events, including the Wenlock Olympian Society Annual Games, held in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, England, are also considered.
Stockholm Hosts Summer Olympics The Games of the Fifth Olympiad moved the quadrennial competition to Scandinavia for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games. Up to that point, the Games had attracted little attention, and their future was uncertain. The previous Olympics, held in London in 1908, had created almost as much controversy as goodwill. An interim competition, called the Intercalated Games, held in Greece on the two-year cycle between each Olympics, had helped the Games survive between 1904 and 1908, but this system was canceled in 1910. Under the leadership of Viktor Balck, the 1912 Games were expertly organized, and they inspired some of the Olympics’ most memorable athletic performances.

Katie Couric speaks with Olympic historian David Wallechinsky about the legacy of the Olympic torch relay and how the IOC might react to the protests leading up the Beijing games.

Awe-inspiring images of women athletes rope climbing demand attention in this Pathe newsreel, celebrating the sporting achievements of competitors from across the world at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. The film engagingly captures a range of sports, illustrating the mass scale of the event as well as the more personal achievements of individual athletes, such as Swedish javelin competitor Eric Lemming. The gymnasts at the start of this film were among 48 women competing at the Stockholm games, up from 22 in 1900.