Olympics shutdown

On April 6, 1896, nearly 50,000 people packed the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece (plus thousands more on the surrounding hills) to witness the first modern Olympic Games. A total of 311 athletes from 13 countries marched into the stadium to the cheers of the crowd.

For 10 days, the athletes competed in 11 track and field events, as well as weightlifting, shooting, tennis, swimming, cycling, gymnastics, fencing, wrestling and the marathon. It is worth noting that some of the “athletes” were tourists who joined the Games on their own. The British delegation actually included two employees from the British Embassy in Athens. The first competition of the modern Olympic Games was heat one of the 100-meter dash and it was won in 12.5 seconds by American Francis Lane, who thus etched his name in the history books. Another American, James Connolly, became the first gold medallist of the modern Olympics when he topped the hop, step and jump event (now known as the triple jump).