While the first known Olympics were in southern Greece in 776 BCE, the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896 . Athletes from 14 countries participated, with the largest delegations ...

The medal, designed by Jules-Clément Chaplain, is a remarkable piece of Olympic history. Courtesy Bruun Rasmussen These medals’ importance begins with what the 1896 Games represented. After the ...

Years later, it was said that the whole idea started as a joke. It was January 1896, and at the Boston Athletic Association’s annual indoor track meet at Mechanic’s Hall, Arthur Blake—a 23-year-old ...

The 1896 Olympic marathon was just less than twenty-five miles long, and was won by a Greek named Spyridon Louis. During the next few years, marathons varied considerably in length, but they were ...