The Olympics

The Ancient Olympic Games were held at Olympia in honor of Zeus for over a thousand years.

The modern Olympic Games were revived in Athens in 1896 by Pierre de Coubertin.

The Olympic rings, introduced in 1913, represent the union of the five inhabited continents.

The Olympic flame is lit at Olympia and carried by relay to burn throughout each Games.

The Olympic motto, 'Faster, Higher, Stronger,' was later expanded to include 'Together.'

Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian in history, with a record eight golds in 2008 alone.

The Olympic torch relay, introduced in 1936, carries the flame to the host city's opening ceremony.

The International Olympic Committee, founded in 1894, governs the modern Olympic movement.

The 1936 Berlin Olympics saw Jesse Owens win four golds and were the first Games broadcast live.

The 1972 Munich Games were marked by a hostage crisis in which Israeli athletes were killed.

The 2008 Beijing Games saw Michael Phelps win a record eight golds inside the Bird's Nest stadium.

Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Jim Thorpe won decathlon and pentathlon gold in 1912 and later had his medals restored.

Nadia Comăneci scored gymnastics' first perfect 10 at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

Mark Spitz won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Usain Bolt set world records in the 100m and 200m and won both at three straight Olympics.

Simone Biles has multiple gymnastics skills named after her and is among the sport's most decorated athletes.

Carl Lewis won nine Olympic gold medals across sprinting and long jump events.

Olympic medals are awarded in gold, silver, and bronze, with designs that vary by host city.

The Special Olympics, founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, holds its own World Games for athletes with intellectual disabilities.

The Winter Olympics began in Chamonix in 1924 and now run on their own four-year cycle.

The 1968 Mexico City Games were held at high altitude and included a famous protest podium moment.

The 1980 Moscow Games were boycotted by dozens of countries after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

The 1984 Los Angeles Games relied heavily on private funding and existing venues. They produced a surplus that supported later sporting…

The 1992 Barcelona Games featured a memorable flaming-arrow cauldron lighting ceremony.

The 2000 Sydney Games were widely praised and featured home favorite Ian Thorpe's success in the pool.

The 2012 London Games made London the first city to host the Olympics three times.

The 2016 Rio Games were the first Olympics held in South America.

The 2020 Tokyo Games were postponed a year by the COVID-19 pandemic and held largely without fans.

The decathlon combines ten track and field events over two days of competition.

The Olympic marathon distance was standardized around the 1908 London Games.

The Olympic Village concept began at the 1924 Paris Games and is often reused as housing afterward.

The Paralympic Games are held after the Olympics in the same host city and trace back to a 1948 event for injured veterans.

Figure skating has been part of the Winter Games since 1924 and briefly appeared at earlier Summer Games.