Olympic Moments That Changed History
For the love of sports
As humans, we are drawn to competition. That's what makes the Olympic Games so exciting to watch—3,000 years after its conception, we still tune in to see our countries represented by athletes who give it their all for the gold.
Here are some of the greatest Olympic moments that changed history.
The debut of women's sports, 1900
Women made their Olympic debut in 1900 at the Paris Games, competing in five sports: tennis, sailing, croquet, horseback riding, and golf. Only 22 out of nearly 1,000 athletes were women.
British tennis player Charlotte Cooper became the first female Olympic champion, paving the way for more female participation in future Games.
Jim Thorpe shines for his people, 1912
Jim Thorpe, a Native American athlete, won gold in pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. Despite losing his medals for breaking amateurism rules (he had played minor league baseball for a small payment), his legacy endured.
In 2022, he was reinstated as the sole champion in both events.
Luz Long extends a helping hand, 1936
German long jumper Luz Long showed sportsmanship at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by assisting African-American athlete Jesse Owens in the long jump event.
Long advised Owens to change his take-off point to prevent fouling his jumps, and this helped Owens win gold. Long had no hard feelings and still took home the silver.
Jesse Owens proves everyone wrong, 1936
In the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens, an African-American athlete, won gold medals in the 100 m, 200 m, long jump, and 4x100 m relay, defying racial biases and Hitler's propaganda. Despite myths, Hitler did not ignore Owens but stopped applauding all athletes. Owens faced racial prejudice upon returning to the US.
