This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at USFSP chapter.

“Faster, higher, stronger.” The official Olympic motto.

It’s time for the Olympics again, one of my favorite things in the world. I was inspired to do some research on the rich history of the global event. Here are both the heartwarming and the heartbreaking moments that we could never forget, and some fun facts about the Olympic evolution as well.

Paris, 1900 – Women Participate For The First Time

In 1900, women participated in the Olympic Games for the first time. However, they were only allowed to participate in five sports: tennis, croquet, golf, equestrianism, and sailing. In the 2012 Olympics in London, there were female athletes in every sport for the first time ever. That took a while, didn’t it?

Berlin, 1936 – Jesse Owens Proves Adolf Hitler Wrong

With Nazi Germany on the rise, Chancellor Adolf Hitler was eager to host the Olympics and show the world what Germany was made of. American track and field athlete Jesse Owens, ignoring the advice of civil rights activists not to go to Berlin, faced the hate and courageously participated. He ended up taking home four gold medals. Hitler, whose theory that the Aryan race was the superior race, was enraged that a black man kept winning gold. Owens said of the Games, “I wanted no part of politics. And I wasn’t in Berlin to compete against any one athlete. The purpose of the Olympics, anyway, was to do your best.”

London, 1948 – “The Flying Housewife”

A newspaper described Dutch runner Fanny Blankers-Koen as the one who “fled through her trial heats as though racing to the kitchen to rescue a batch of burning biscuits.” (Yes, really.) She destroyed stereotypes of what it meant to be a woman, a mother, and an athlete. By the 1948 Olympics, Blankers-Koen was a mother of two who was a proud housewife and cook. She won four gold medals and was the most successful athlete at the Olympics that year. The best part: She did this while pregnant with her third child.

Rome, 1960 – Birth of the Paralympics

Sir Ludwig Guttman, a neurologist from the U.K., specialized in rehabilitating WWII veterans with spinal cord injuries. In 1948, he wanted to try including athletics into his rehabilitation programs. It proved to show successful results. Other doctors loved this idea and adopted it. Shortly thereafter, hospitals even had athletic competitions with one another. In the 1960 Olympics, Sir Guttman brought 400 wheelchair-bound athletes to Rome to play in the “Parallel Olympics.” Today, we know the event as the Paralympics.

Mexico City, 1968 – Black Power Salute in the Medal Ceremony

Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos took home the gold and bronze medals (respectively) for the 200-meter sprint in the 1968 Olympics. During the medal ceremony as the American flag rose and the national anthem rang, both men raised their fists for a “Black Power” salute. This moment is remembered as one of the most powerful moments in Olympic history, drawing international attention to the Civil Rights Movement happening the United States. Tommie Smith in recent years stated, “I did not throw a rock and hide my hand. What I did was throw my hand up and cry for freedom.”

Munich, 1972 – Palestinian Terrorists Take Israeli Hostages

Terrorism struck the Olympics in 1972. Members of the Black September Organization, a Palestinian terrorist group, disguised themselves as athletes and stole keys to Israeli team members’ apartments in the Olympic Village. Six coaches and five athletes were taken hostage and eventually all killed. Because of the highly international presence the Olympic Games provides, this Black September terrorist attack was the first act of terrorism reported on and broadcasted in real time around the whole world.

Montreal, 1976 – Many African Nations Ban the Olympics

In 1976, New Zealand’s national rugby team traveled to South Africa to play. Subsequently, many African nations all decided to not compete in the Olympics that year as a statement against New Zealand not condemning apartheid. (Some sources say 25 nations, some say as many as 29.) James Osogo, the Kenyan Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated, “The government and the people of Kenya hold the view that principles are more precious than medals.” A spokesperson for New Zealand’s Olympic Committee expressed confusion and frustration, saying that it was illogical to single out New Zealand because many other nations’ athletic teams went to South Africa to play there, too. Perhaps it was the symbolism behind the idea that New Zealand specifically is a former colony of the United Kingdom, responsible for much of the colonization and imperialism in world history, especially in Africa.

Lake Placid, 1980 – “Miracle On Ice”

The U.S. Olympic ice hockey team, made up almost entirely of college players, beat the Soviet Union’s powerhouse ice hockey team 4-3. This year was arguably the beginning of the end of the Cold War. The “Miracle on Ice” is remembered as one of the most symbolic and powerful moments in Olympic history, as the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union was tense and unpleasant. It’s also regarded as one of the greatest upsets in sports history. Player Mark Johnson, who scored two of the four goals said, “We knew we were younger, we knew we could outskate them, we knew we were going to break our butts to beat them. And we did.”

Barcelona, 1992 – “The Dream Team”

The 1992 Olympics were the first to feature professional basketball players on Team USA. This happened because the International Basketball Federation changed the rules to allow professional athletes to compete internationally for the first time ever. The American “Dream Team” included a handful of future Hall of Fame names, including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, and John Stockton.

Barcelona, 1992 – Derek Redmond Finishes Race With His Dad

British track and field athlete Derek Redmond was in the middle of competing in the 400-meter sprint when his hamstring tore. He fell to the ground in immense pain, laying on the ground for a moment. “I thought I got shot,” he recalls. With fortitude and passion, Redmond continued the race hobbling to the end. His father, Jim Redmond, was watching and supporting him from the stands that day. Jim pushed past security and went on to the track to assist Derek and help him cross the finish line. He told Derek, “You’re a champion, you’ve got nothing to prove.” This Olympic moment reminds us all that it’s love and hard work that really matter, not so much the medal.

Atlanta, 1996 – Olympic Village Bombing

Eric Robert Rudolph planted a 40-pound pipe bomb at the 1996 Olympics, which killed one and injured 111 more. He was responsible for three other bombings that happened in Atlanta and elsewhere. In 1998, Rudolph became one of the FBI’s ten most wanted fugitives and a $1,000,000 reward was offered for his capture. After being on the run for so long, he was finally found in North Carolina and arrested by police. In 2005, Rudolph plead guilty to all charges against him and was sentenced to four life sentences without parole for his four bombings.

Sydney, 2000 – Korea Briefly Unites

In the 2000 Olympics opening ceremony, North Korea and South Korea marched as one group, presenting themselves as a team united. Park Chong Chul from North Korea and Chung Un Soon from South Korea carried the flag together, which depicted a map of Korea as a whole. It was named the “flag of unification.” Interestingly, we see in this year’s Olympics that the South Korean Olympic team invited some North Korean athletes to join and compete with them.

Sydney, 2000 – Cathy Freeman Unites Australia

Cathy Freeman was only one of 11 indigenous Australians on the 628-member team. She is remembered for uniting the indigenous community and the rest of Australia. After winning the gold in the 400-meter sprint, Freeman carried both the Australian flag and the Australian Aboriginal flag on her victory lap. The two flags being waved together elicited various reactions from the public.

Beijing, 2008 – Michael Phelps Becomes Most Decorated Olympian

It was at the 2008 Olympics that Michael Phelps broke Mark Spitz’s record for most first-place finishes at an Olympic Games. Phelps remains the most decorated Olympian ever, having won 28 medals in total over his five Olympic experiences (2000 in Sydney, 2004 in Athens, 2008 in Beijing, 2012 in London, and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro). We all wish we could eat 12,000 calories a day and still look like him.

Hoping the best for all the athletes in Pyeongchang this year! May the Olympic Games live on for years and years to come, serving as a reminder every two years of the spirit of humankind and worldwide peace and unification.

– Annie

Resources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/08/sports/olympics/russia-opens-sochi-ga…

https://www.usnews.com/photos/2016/08/02/22-historic-olympic-moments?sli…

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/07/9-olympic-moments-that-changed-hi…

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/obituaries/archives/jess…

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-flying-housewife-of-the-1948-…

http://www.history.com/news/the-miracle-on-ice-35-years-ago

http://time.com/24489/munich-massacre-1972-olympics-photos/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/17/newsid_3555000/…

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2016/08/08/1992-olympics-…

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/olympic-park-bomber-eric-rudo…