First name of the founder of the modern olympic games

Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. By Robert McNamara. Robert McNamara. Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. He was Amazon. Learn about our Editorial Process.

I wanted to give the world, in an enduring way, an ancient institution whose guiding principle was becoming necessary for its health. Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. McNamara, Robert. History of the Olympics in Rome, Italy. Cities and the Quest to Host the Olympics Games. Racial Controversies and the Olympic Games.

History of Women's Basketball in America. In the first official Games, athletes from 14 countries competed in 43 events although sailing and rowing had to be cancelled due to poor weather.

For the 1,m swimming race, contestants were taken out to sea by boat and had to swim the distance back to shore. The Australian Athletics competitor, Edwin Flack, had originally only come to Athens as a spectator, but later decided to compete — he won both the m and 1,m races.

In large part, though, his vision survives unchanged. All the competitors were men, and a few of the entrants were tourists who stumbled upon the Games and were allowed to sign up. The track-and-field events were held at the Panathenaic Stadium, which was originally built in B.

Americans won nine out of 12 of these events. The Olympics also featured the first marathon competition, which followed the mile route run by a Greek soldier who brought news of a victory over the Persians from Marathon to Athens in B.

In , the marathon was standardized at 26 miles and yards. In , the first truly successful Olympic Games were held in Paris, involving more than 3, athletes, including more than women, from 44 nations.

The first Winter Olympic Games were also held that year. In , Coubertin retired. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the foremost international sports competition. At the Summer Olympics in Sydney, more than 10, athletes from countries competed, including nearly 4, women. In , the Summer Olympics returned to Athens, with more than 11, athletes competing from countries. In a proud moment for Greeks and an exciting one for spectators, the shotput competition was held at the site of the classical Games in Olympia.

But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! The German air force launches Operation Castigo, the bombing of Belgrade, on April 6, , as 24 divisions and 1, tanks drive into Greece. The attack on Yugoslavia was swift and brutal, an act of terror resulting in the death of 17, civilians—the largest number of civilian On April 6, , American explorer Robert Peary accomplishes a long elusive dream, when he, assistant Matthew Henson and four Inuits reach what they determine to be the North Pole.

Born in Vermont in , Smith claimed in that he had been