1 00:00:01,160 --> 00:00:04,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to steph you missed in History Class from how 2 00:00:04,720 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly 3 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,919 Speaker 1: Frod and I'm Tracy V. Wilson and we were lucky 4 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:20,599 Speaker 1: enough to recently be invited by the Dallas Museum of 5 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 1: Art to participate in their late night's program for an 6 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 1: Olympic themed evening of fun and art. Was super exciting invitation, 7 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:31,040 Speaker 1: it was, and it was really great, but it was 8 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 1: a little wacky. Yeah. We blew in on the day 9 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:38,240 Speaker 1: of the event, and we had plenty of time factored 10 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 1: into this plan. But due to severe weather the Dallasport 11 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 1: where the airport got shut down and we couldn't land 12 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: and we had to be the religious report. Uh And 13 00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: finally we took off again. We made it to the museum. 14 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 1: Are Amazing liaison at the d M A Jesse Frazier, 15 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 1: had switched up the schedule to basically postpone our talk 16 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 1: by two hours. Two hours, and much to our surprise, 17 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: Are Amazing listeners were still there. Yeah. I was perfectly ready, 18 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:09,840 Speaker 1: and I mentioned it in the episode that you're about 19 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 1: to hear that I really thought everybody would leave, but 20 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:14,400 Speaker 1: they didn't. They stuck around. They were amazing. It was 21 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:17,399 Speaker 1: really humbling and really touching, and the evening turned out 22 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 1: to be incredibly fun, even if getting there had been 23 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:23,839 Speaker 1: a crazy frantic dash. But this episode runs a little along, 24 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 1: So now, without further ado, we're just gonna intro it 25 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 1: and let it go. It is our chat with our 26 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: Dallas listeners about Pierre to Coubertin, considered the father of 27 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 1: the modern Olympics. And here we go. All right, buddy, 28 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 1: we are so happy to be here. Yeah, and so 29 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 1: happy you're here. Thank you for being so patient and 30 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: dealing with the weird time delay. Uh, it's been an 31 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 1: adventurous day of travel. Normally, yeah, Normally when we have 32 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 1: a last show, we start with some story about what 33 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 1: fascinating thing we saw in your city today. What we 34 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 1: saw today actually was Shreeveport I was unexpected, which we 35 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:15,360 Speaker 1: didn't actually see because we had to stay on the 36 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: plane the whole time with the shutters down so that 37 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 1: it wouldn't get too hot. So that that was that 38 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 1: was how it started out. But now we're here and 39 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:30,080 Speaker 1: we're delighted to be here. There are some dicey moments. 40 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 1: We did not know if we were going to make it, 41 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: so we're very elated to be here. Uh and again, 42 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 1: thank you guys for rolling with the crazy time change. 43 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 1: We really expected there to be like our six friends 44 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 1: that were invited and then like maybe two stragglers who 45 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 1: were just tired and needed a place to sit. So 46 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:50,240 Speaker 1: it's wonderful to see all of you. Yes, are you 47 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: ready to talk about the Olympics? How many? How many 48 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:57,919 Speaker 1: of you guys have been watching the Olympics because Tracy 49 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: does not have the rabies like I have, but I 50 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:04,919 Speaker 1: have Olympic rabies, Like I telework a lot. In the 51 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:07,080 Speaker 1: last two weeks, I've been teleworking, so I can just 52 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: watch it all day long, and I have it going 53 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 1: on the television and then another one on a monitor 54 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:13,040 Speaker 1: so I can get a secondary feed because I have 55 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: Olympic rabies. Um, so it's it's exciting. So it's very 56 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: exciting for me to get to talk about sort of 57 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:23,079 Speaker 1: where the modern Olympics started and some of the really 58 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 1: wild ride it went on for a while before it 59 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:28,320 Speaker 1: kind of smoothed out. Do you want to talk about 60 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 1: that for a bit? Yeah? Okay, So I'm gonna be 61 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:32,600 Speaker 1: a jerk and take off my glasses because my vision 62 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:35,080 Speaker 1: is poor and I can't read my page and look 63 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 1: at you at the same time. I know I need 64 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:40,119 Speaker 1: bifocals probably, and I already got the lecture. It's fine. 65 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: This is literally what we were talking about backstage. It is, 66 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 1: it is, it is so tonight we are going to 67 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 1: talk about the man who reignited the world's interest in 68 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 1: the Olympics and really catalyzed the launch of the modern Games. 69 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:54,839 Speaker 1: And we're also going to talk, as Jesse mentioned about uh, 70 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 1: several of the early games and how a rather rocky 71 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: start eventually led to the games becoming what we know 72 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 1: them of today, what we know of them today, and 73 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: how obsessively people like me watch them. Also, we never 74 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 1: did our Hello and welcome to the podcast. You want 75 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 1: to do that part now, sure, and then I'll do 76 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 1: this other paragraph and then we'll smooth it right out. 77 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: We're just like the Olympics. I thought you were gonna say, 78 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: we're just like at home. Well, no, we're already way 79 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:24,520 Speaker 1: smoother than that, because we have a wonderful editor, Tracy 80 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:26,680 Speaker 1: and I. Sometimes there are a little sloppy, geloppy in 81 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:29,719 Speaker 1: the studio. We can be, especially because you record early 82 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:32,360 Speaker 1: in the morning and we often have been up kind 83 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: of late making sure all our notes were together, and 84 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 1: sometimes it's not good. We're very like kind of like 85 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 1: I need more coffee. I can't, but we'll start like 86 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 1: it's a regular podcast. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 87 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:53,839 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Froy and I'm Tracy V. Wilson. Sometimes sometimes 88 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:56,880 Speaker 1: don't you want to just switch to confuse people. There 89 00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: have been times I've almost just said your name for 90 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:02,960 Speaker 1: I'm not I've not ever been quite sure why I 91 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 1: almost said your name, but that's happened more than one. 92 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:07,400 Speaker 1: I have almost said I'm Holly V. Fry, which is 93 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:10,320 Speaker 1: not my middle initial, but it's hers. Well. And when 94 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:13,360 Speaker 1: we had that previous podcast, pop Stuff, we would say 95 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:17,200 Speaker 1: weird things. Yeah, we were a little nutier. Yeah, maybe 96 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:19,240 Speaker 1: one day that was a little more casual than our 97 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 1: current podcast. So while Pierre de Coubertin, who is the 98 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:24,880 Speaker 1: father of the modern Olympics, is characterized in a lot 99 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 1: of different ways, including sometimes a fool, sometimes a sexist, 100 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:33,799 Speaker 1: pretty accurate um and a visionary regardless of the lens 101 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:36,040 Speaker 1: that you used to look at his life, he really 102 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:38,799 Speaker 1: did leave an indelible mark on history as the father 103 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:42,560 Speaker 1: of the modern Olympic games. It's true and Pierre de 104 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:45,479 Speaker 1: Freddie was born a baby New Year. He was born 105 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:48,600 Speaker 1: in Paris, France, on New Year's Day of eighteen sixty three. 106 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 1: He was the fourth and final child of a very 107 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:56,680 Speaker 1: aristocratic family and his father. Now here's the part where 108 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: if we were in the studio, I'd probably get to 109 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 1: do it full times. I was gonna act like I 110 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 1: can speak French really well today Chile de Freddy, baron 111 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 1: Dick kubour Fin and he was a painter. His mother 112 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:16,120 Speaker 1: was Marie marcel Jo Decres Nooy. I didn't do that 113 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:20,240 Speaker 1: one very well. Uh. And the family traveled a lot 114 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:23,040 Speaker 1: throughout Europe, and when they weren't on the road, they 115 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: could often be found at his mother's family's chateau, which 116 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:28,560 Speaker 1: was in Normandy. Don't you just wish your family had 117 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:32,960 Speaker 1: a chateau in Normandy? Uh? And Pierre attended school primarily 118 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:35,640 Speaker 1: in Paris at the Jesuit College of Saint Ignatius, and 119 00:06:35,640 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 1: he earned a degree in literature actually, and he next 120 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:42,320 Speaker 1: continued his education at the law faculty of the Political Sciences, 121 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 1: which was pretty common for aristocratic young men. They would 122 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:47,679 Speaker 1: kind of go military, which he was offered a military 123 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:49,400 Speaker 1: career and turned it down and decided he would go 124 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:54,480 Speaker 1: to college. Uh, but instead he decided to pursue his 125 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:58,440 Speaker 1: his law education. It did not stick, no, because he 126 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:02,120 Speaker 1: didn't really find his calling until he became interested in education, 127 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: and his dedication to the field of education grew steadily 128 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:08,560 Speaker 1: until eighteen eighty three, and at that point he was 129 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:11,200 Speaker 1: twenty and so what he decided to do was to 130 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:14,880 Speaker 1: go to England to compare the educational systems of England 131 00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:18,400 Speaker 1: and France. And he was convinced after the study of 132 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:20,840 Speaker 1: the two approaches to education that the key to a 133 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:25,120 Speaker 1: really balanced and thorough education was the inclusion of sports 134 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 1: in school curriculums. So all of you who growned your 135 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:36,880 Speaker 1: way through Pe, thanks Pierre and his personal mission really 136 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:40,720 Speaker 1: became one of educational reform overall, but sports was really 137 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:44,120 Speaker 1: the focus of his agenda pretty much throughout. One of 138 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:46,200 Speaker 1: the things that he did a whole lot of was 139 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 1: start groups. He liked to start groups. He started a 140 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:54,360 Speaker 1: lot of groups. He established the Union dis Society Francai 141 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:57,840 Speaker 1: Dick Clarsapiec, which was the Union of French running groups 142 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:01,120 Speaker 1: and that was seven. Yeah, we'll pop in periodically with 143 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: some of the groups that he started because he was 144 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:05,680 Speaker 1: a busy bee, uh, and he had some really really 145 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:08,520 Speaker 1: big goals in mind for sports. So he pretty early 146 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:11,080 Speaker 1: on decided it would be super cool if we re 147 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:14,360 Speaker 1: established the Olympic Games, and so he worked really diligently 148 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:16,640 Speaker 1: towards that, starting at the end of the eighteen eighties, 149 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 1: and that year at the Universal Exhibition in Paris, he 150 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 1: started an assembly series where basically he was bringing people 151 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 1: together so that he could promote the importance of sport 152 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:28,880 Speaker 1: and physical education in groups very much like what we 153 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:33,559 Speaker 1: have here today. So in and one of these gatherings 154 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:37,079 Speaker 1: that he had started, he launched a plan to revive 155 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,840 Speaker 1: the Olympics, which at that point was much smaller deal, 156 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: not an international giganto thing like it is now. And 157 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:46,880 Speaker 1: he spoke to this group and he talked about the 158 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:51,040 Speaker 1: virtues of sport is a great way to achieve anymore, 159 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:53,960 Speaker 1: even more than the technology of the day could achieve. 160 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:56,839 Speaker 1: And his thing that he said was, quote, let us 161 00:08:56,920 --> 00:09:01,200 Speaker 1: export rowers, runners and fencers. There is the free trade 162 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 1: of the future. And on the day it is introduced 163 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:06,880 Speaker 1: within the walls of old Europe, the cause of peace 164 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:11,240 Speaker 1: will have received a new and mighty stay. He was 165 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:15,920 Speaker 1: real excited. Uh, and his enthusiastic idea really did meant 166 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:22,040 Speaker 1: was met with enthusiastic response but ultimately failure. Uh. He 167 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:24,200 Speaker 1: was undeterred. He still thought this was a good idea 168 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:26,080 Speaker 1: and where he was going to keep going. And we 169 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 1: should also mention Tracy kind of alluded to it that 170 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:33,079 Speaker 1: there were events happening that people were calling the Olympics 171 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:36,360 Speaker 1: that were modeled on the historical Olympics of ancient times, 172 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 1: but they were like local It would be like the 173 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:41,040 Speaker 1: city Olympics or even the country Olympics in some case, 174 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:43,920 Speaker 1: but nothing where we were going to have multiple countries 175 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 1: coming together to compete. That was sorry, considered insanely ambitious. 176 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 1: I mean, that's why people were like, the great idea 177 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:56,760 Speaker 1: not gonna happen. There was though, some interest in the 178 00:09:56,800 --> 00:09:59,960 Speaker 1: idea of the Olympics, and that was in part few 179 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:03,480 Speaker 1: by archaeological excavations that were happening at the site of 180 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:06,560 Speaker 1: ancient Olympia, and so there was this whole deal for 181 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:10,079 Speaker 1: antiquity that became a driving force and adopting this whole 182 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 1: Olympic Games idea. In a report on the first Modern 183 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:17,520 Speaker 1: Games that was written quote, we shall then before long 184 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:22,200 Speaker 1: enter on the twentieth century crowned with the fair flowers 185 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:27,520 Speaker 1: of ancient civilization. That's very poetic. Its poetic, uh and 186 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:31,680 Speaker 1: Kobot taking advantage of this fascination with Olympia's history that 187 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,440 Speaker 1: was part of the culture of later nineteenth century because 188 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:36,800 Speaker 1: if you've studied like Victorian culture at all, you know, 189 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:39,840 Speaker 1: they got really obsessed with like these weird little pockets 190 00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:41,840 Speaker 1: of other cultures and they would kind of blow them 191 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:45,640 Speaker 1: out in completely inappropriate and you know, lack of understanding typeways. 192 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:48,199 Speaker 1: But they got very obsessed. So he thought he was 193 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:50,080 Speaker 1: going to trade on that, and he arranged for yet 194 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:53,679 Speaker 1: another big gathering and this assembly, which was the International 195 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:57,959 Speaker 1: Athletics Congress in was horse hosted at the sore Bun 196 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:01,200 Speaker 1: in Paris, and unlike the A T nine Congress, this 197 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:04,440 Speaker 1: group resolved to follow through on Kubertin's idea. They were 198 00:11:04,559 --> 00:11:07,320 Speaker 1: in in in and so this eventually led to the 199 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:10,839 Speaker 1: creation of a body that we still have today, which 200 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:14,480 Speaker 1: is the International Olympic Committee, and the revival ultimately of 201 00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:16,920 Speaker 1: the Olympic Games. And this is also when some of 202 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:20,720 Speaker 1: the basic guidelines around participation were created, including like amateur 203 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:23,760 Speaker 1: athletes had to compete and when there could and could 204 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:26,120 Speaker 1: not be prizes. So in the middle of all this 205 00:11:26,280 --> 00:11:30,280 Speaker 1: starting groups and wanting to relaunch the Olympics, we should 206 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:32,600 Speaker 1: also point out that Pierre de Coubertin also had a 207 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:36,200 Speaker 1: personal life. He was doing other things too. On March 208 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:39,480 Speaker 1: twelve of eighteen nine, he married Marie role Fat and 209 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:42,160 Speaker 1: they had their first child, named Jacques a year later 210 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:45,160 Speaker 1: in eighteen ninety six, And of course, also in eighteen 211 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:49,319 Speaker 1: ninety six, the first modern Olympic Games took place in Athens, Greece, 212 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:52,120 Speaker 1: So that was a very big year for Pierre. So 213 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:55,560 Speaker 1: while he is called the father of the modern Olympics, 214 00:11:55,559 --> 00:11:58,880 Speaker 1: those first modern games definitely would not happen without the 215 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:04,520 Speaker 1: involvement of an another man, Georgios Averoff. Money had been 216 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:07,800 Speaker 1: a serious problem for the Olympic plan from the beginning. 217 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:11,000 Speaker 1: This may sound familiar to people who are familiar with 218 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:15,440 Speaker 1: the current Olympic Games. Initially, the city of Athens was 219 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:18,680 Speaker 1: reluctant to host it because Greece was insolvent. That may 220 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:24,199 Speaker 1: also sound familiar. Uh, the cities didn't have the money 221 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:26,320 Speaker 1: to do it, and there was no infrastructure to support 222 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:29,600 Speaker 1: it either. Yeah, but people really wanted to go back 223 00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:32,360 Speaker 1: to the site of the ancient Olympics. To kick this 224 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:35,240 Speaker 1: thing off. So Averoff, who was an Alexandrian man with 225 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 1: great private wealth from shipping, banking, real estate. He just 226 00:12:39,559 --> 00:12:41,360 Speaker 1: was a really good businessman, had his hands and a 227 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:43,320 Speaker 1: lot of stuff that was making a great deal of money, 228 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:46,480 Speaker 1: and he financed the restoration of the stadium that was 229 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:49,720 Speaker 1: used for the Olympics. And this structure had originally been 230 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:53,160 Speaker 1: built in three thirty b C. So it was extremely 231 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:56,319 Speaker 1: ancient and it had only been excavated a few decades 232 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:58,720 Speaker 1: prior to this, so it needed a lot of work. 233 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:02,560 Speaker 1: It required so much need to restore, but Averroff was willing, 234 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:05,520 Speaker 1: and in doing so, he not only injected funding into 235 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:09,360 Speaker 1: the project, but he also catalyzed additional sponsorships from other 236 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 1: wealthy patrons, ultimately making the games possible. So it just 237 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:15,760 Speaker 1: took one rich guy to get the other rich guys interested. 238 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:19,880 Speaker 1: It was kind of a quirky thing though the stadium. 239 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:23,000 Speaker 1: For example, the track was a lot longer and narrower 240 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:25,800 Speaker 1: than a regulation tracks, so the runners had to like 241 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:28,200 Speaker 1: change their speed when they went around the curves because 242 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:32,160 Speaker 1: the curves were really tight. It was regulation in ancient times, 243 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:37,560 Speaker 1: not today. Uh and as an aside, the winter weather 244 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:41,160 Speaker 1: that happened prior to the Games prevented the completion of 245 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:44,200 Speaker 1: that stadium quite as designed. So initially all of the 246 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:46,960 Speaker 1: stadium and the seating was supposed to be restored with 247 00:13:47,040 --> 00:13:50,719 Speaker 1: pentelic marble. This is beautiful white marble. But construction was 248 00:13:50,760 --> 00:13:54,080 Speaker 1: only completed for the seating portion. The rest was done, 249 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:56,080 Speaker 1: but the seating just the first six rows were done, 250 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:58,440 Speaker 1: so they had to kind of quickly shuffle in some 251 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:01,640 Speaker 1: wooden seating to fill out the rest to it. Uh. 252 00:14:01,679 --> 00:14:04,199 Speaker 1: But ever Off, true to his word, did provide additional 253 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:06,440 Speaker 1: funding after the Olympics had wrapped up so that they 254 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:09,240 Speaker 1: could in fact restore the entire facility. I just want 255 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:13,080 Speaker 1: to say, restored stadium, stadium with marble seats sounds really 256 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:21,680 Speaker 1: beautiful and really uncomfortable. Uh So though first Summer Games, 257 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 1: they were only for men, no women competing. Uh. They 258 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:28,920 Speaker 1: began on April sixth of EE and that was Easter 259 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:33,520 Speaker 1: Monday and they ran until April fifteen. About sixty thousand 260 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:36,120 Speaker 1: spectators were there the first day and there were two 261 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:40,760 Speaker 1: one athletes from fourteen different countries who traveled to Athens 262 00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:44,000 Speaker 1: to participate. Even though it was really hot and sunny. 263 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:47,840 Speaker 1: Parasols were not allowed because that might block the view 264 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:51,400 Speaker 1: for everybody else. Ladies to carry fans, but no parasols. 265 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 1: And the Greek royal family was on hand that afternoon 266 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:56,440 Speaker 1: and they addressed the crowd. There wasn't really an opening 267 00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:58,560 Speaker 1: ceremony the way we know it now. That didn't happen 268 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:00,640 Speaker 1: until later, but they were there and kind of kicked 269 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:03,720 Speaker 1: everything off, and they did have a hymn that was 270 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:06,280 Speaker 1: kind of their opening ceremonies that was written specially for 271 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:08,640 Speaker 1: the occasion, and it was sung by a choir of 272 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:10,960 Speaker 1: a hundred and fifty vocalists and by all accounts, was 273 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:14,480 Speaker 1: just a lovely, lovely thing. So we're used to seeing 274 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:19,600 Speaker 1: seeing really inspiring human stories in televised Olympic coverage. Those 275 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:22,360 Speaker 1: stories are actually what made people want to watch the 276 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:25,320 Speaker 1: Olympics on television. Like the Olympics were not popular on 277 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:28,200 Speaker 1: TV until they started showing the story of like the 278 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:32,360 Speaker 1: underdog athlete who became this wonderful star. But there have 279 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:36,440 Speaker 1: always been amazing people with unique stories behind the participation 280 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:40,080 Speaker 1: in the games, even before there were TV networks deciding, oh, 281 00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:42,160 Speaker 1: this would be a great way to get people to watch. Uh, 282 00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:43,560 Speaker 1: and so in a little bit we're going to talk 283 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:46,640 Speaker 1: about them. Yeah, but first we're gonna pause for a 284 00:15:46,640 --> 00:15:55,760 Speaker 1: word from one of our sponsors. So one of those, uh, 285 00:15:55,840 --> 00:15:58,200 Speaker 1: sort of personal interest stories that we talked about involves 286 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:02,000 Speaker 1: Hungarian swimmer Alfred High and he was an architecture student 287 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:05,720 Speaker 1: who had made a conscious decision to become good at 288 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:09,280 Speaker 1: swimming when he was just a boy because he watched 289 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:12,120 Speaker 1: his father drown in the Danube when he was thirteen, 290 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:16,200 Speaker 1: which is kind of a horrifying impetus to do something 291 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:19,280 Speaker 1: really well. But it worked. Uh, he got really good 292 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:22,880 Speaker 1: at it. And his architecture school was not super enthused 293 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 1: that he was gonna hop away and go do this 294 00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:27,840 Speaker 1: weird Olympics thing. Uh. They didn't want to give him 295 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:31,440 Speaker 1: the time to compete, even though he was already a 296 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:34,360 Speaker 1: decorated competitive swimmer. It wasn't like a guy who went, hey, teach, 297 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:35,880 Speaker 1: can I have the week off because I would like 298 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:37,880 Speaker 1: to go swim. It was like, no, you remember when 299 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:39,680 Speaker 1: I won all of those awards, I would like to 300 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:43,080 Speaker 1: go win more awards and they're like school work. Um, 301 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:46,560 Speaker 1: But he went to the Games anyway. He also won 302 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:51,120 Speaker 1: the gold in two events, the one and the twelve freestyle. 303 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:53,680 Speaker 1: So the way the twelve hundred meter freestyle worked was 304 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:56,040 Speaker 1: it took all the people out in a boat twelve 305 00:16:56,160 --> 00:17:00,760 Speaker 1: hundred meters away and they were like, they were like, 306 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:08,280 Speaker 1: you gotta swim to shore. Uh. And and then he 307 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:12,439 Speaker 1: said that the driving force behind this achievement was actually fear. 308 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:18,840 Speaker 1: And his quote was my will to live completely overcame 309 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:24,080 Speaker 1: my desire to win. But he wanted to live more 310 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:27,960 Speaker 1: than all the other swimmers, apparently because he whipped them soundly. 311 00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:31,920 Speaker 1: Hiosh did go on to finish his architecture degree after 312 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:34,360 Speaker 1: the Games, and the kind of I think a lovely twist. 313 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:37,639 Speaker 1: He went and went on to design sports stadiums and 314 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:40,600 Speaker 1: swimming facilities, many of which are still in use today. 315 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:44,919 Speaker 1: So he was good at swimming. F'm good at architecture. Uh. 316 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:47,960 Speaker 1: And then the next sort of inspiring people will talk 317 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:50,879 Speaker 1: about where marksmen. They were two American brothers, John and 318 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:53,560 Speaker 1: Sumner Payne. Uh. And they were like a big story 319 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:55,719 Speaker 1: that year in the Olympics because for one thing, they 320 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:59,160 Speaker 1: didn't really have any training involved in their participation. Really, 321 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:02,760 Speaker 1: they were just they could shoot things. It's a little wimy. Uh. 322 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:05,560 Speaker 1: So John was going to Athens for the game. He 323 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:07,960 Speaker 1: stopped in France where his brother lived, and was like, Hey, 324 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:09,960 Speaker 1: do you want to come from compete in these revolver 325 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:13,000 Speaker 1: matches with me? And his brother said sure, And the 326 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:16,119 Speaker 1: Boston Athletic Association was already sending a team and both 327 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:19,320 Speaker 1: of the men were already members, so that worked out. Yeah, 328 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:21,560 Speaker 1: so he was kind of grandfathered in by virtue of 329 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:23,720 Speaker 1: being in that athletic group. And the pair got to 330 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:27,399 Speaker 1: Athens and they had no idea what to expect and 331 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:30,840 Speaker 1: what to pack, so they basically brought a crazy arsenal. 332 00:18:31,119 --> 00:18:34,760 Speaker 1: This wouldn't work today. No. Uh. They had a lot 333 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:37,000 Speaker 1: of different revolvers, they had a lot of different HMO 334 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:39,440 Speaker 1: because they didn't know what they'd need. And they got 335 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:43,400 Speaker 1: there literally the night before the competition began. So even 336 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:46,000 Speaker 1: though they had no prep time, though, they dominated the 337 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:49,560 Speaker 1: first event, which was the twenty five Military Revolver contest, 338 00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:53,400 Speaker 1: and John easily took the gold. Sumner came in seconds 339 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:56,520 Speaker 1: and John's score was more than double that of the 340 00:18:56,600 --> 00:18:59,560 Speaker 1: third place shooter. It was like Sumner Brother, Sumner Brother, Hey, 341 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:03,160 Speaker 1: you guys, like they were just not Nobody could come 342 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:05,840 Speaker 1: anywhere close to them. So the next day, John set 343 00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:08,600 Speaker 1: out because they had agreed between the two of them 344 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:10,879 Speaker 1: that whoever won the first day would not play the 345 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:13,720 Speaker 1: second day. We should point out this may explain why 346 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:16,520 Speaker 1: they weren't doing gold, silver, bronze. It was like you 347 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:18,800 Speaker 1: win or you're the rest of the dudes there was, 348 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,879 Speaker 1: so it wasn't quite as fancy to be seconds. So 349 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:25,240 Speaker 1: Sumner at this time took the gold in the thirty 350 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:29,159 Speaker 1: meter competition, once again, way way beyond all of the 351 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:33,679 Speaker 1: other scores. They had arrived at the game the games 352 00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:38,800 Speaker 1: with rounds of ammunition, which like that seems like a 353 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:44,919 Speaker 1: lot again for revolvers, but I'm not sure how they 354 00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:48,480 Speaker 1: thought this game was gonna work. Uh, they only fired 355 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:53,000 Speaker 1: ninety six shots, though I don't know what they did 356 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:55,359 Speaker 1: with the rest of the ammo. I know, I nobody 357 00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:57,560 Speaker 1: ever tells you if they just were like, okay, let's 358 00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:00,600 Speaker 1: trundle all of this back to the stage out. Although 359 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:02,480 Speaker 1: I get home and started shooting a lot of it, 360 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:05,560 Speaker 1: just had to go to France to Sumner's house, I 361 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:09,840 Speaker 1: guess so. Uh. The last athlete from those first Olympic 362 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:11,919 Speaker 1: Games that we're going to talk about is Carl Schumann, 363 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:15,040 Speaker 1: and he was twenty six when he competed, and the 364 00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:18,640 Speaker 1: feats that he pulled off were astonishing, because I mean 365 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:20,359 Speaker 1: we those of you that raised your hands when you 366 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:22,359 Speaker 1: said you watched the Olympics, I'm sure you sit there 367 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:24,560 Speaker 1: like me, going, oh my gosh, these are superheroes. This 368 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:27,119 Speaker 1: is not human possibly, oh my god, you lose your 369 00:20:27,119 --> 00:20:29,560 Speaker 1: mind and you just go insane. So imagine doing that 370 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:32,520 Speaker 1: for somebody that goes I'm gonna do a few different sports. 371 00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:36,040 Speaker 1: You guys did last sports Carl Schumann, not just one, 372 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:40,240 Speaker 1: any sports Carl Carl Schumann. Did we say that he 373 00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:44,800 Speaker 1: was twenty six? Who did? Okay? I wasn't paying attention. Uh. 374 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:48,879 Speaker 1: Schumann won the gold in several different gymnastics events. You 375 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:51,639 Speaker 1: got team gold and horizontal bar and parallel bars, and 376 00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: an individual gold in the vault. So that is already 377 00:20:55,400 --> 00:20:57,200 Speaker 1: that's a lot of gold. And but then he also 378 00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:00,080 Speaker 1: competed in greco room and wrestling and he may did 379 00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:03,680 Speaker 1: it to the gold medal match and that about lasted 380 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:08,760 Speaker 1: on the first day for forty minutes. Uh. But then 381 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:11,080 Speaker 1: they had to pause because the sun was going down, 382 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:17,560 Speaker 1: and so they started up again the next morning. Uh, 383 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:20,920 Speaker 1: And he ultimately won after fifteen additional minutes that were 384 00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 1: played out after everyone had gone to bed and woken 385 00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:29,439 Speaker 1: up again. As I was working on the research for this, 386 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:31,200 Speaker 1: in my head, it was very much like when your 387 00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:33,119 Speaker 1: kids and you have to go home because it's dark out, 388 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:36,520 Speaker 1: except then you have to come back and compete at 389 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:40,040 Speaker 1: an international athletic level. Um, that's not how I worked 390 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:43,399 Speaker 1: in your neighborhood as a kid. Uh so Suman also 391 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:46,520 Speaker 1: competed in weightlifting and track and field events, including the 392 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:48,720 Speaker 1: long jump and the shot put, although he did not 393 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:51,199 Speaker 1: place in those events. And at a time when the 394 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:53,560 Speaker 1: city was really riding high on the fact that a 395 00:21:53,600 --> 00:21:57,520 Speaker 1: hometown hero named uh spirit On Lewis had won the marathon, 396 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:00,119 Speaker 1: that was like a big deal. Uh in Greece was 397 00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:03,240 Speaker 1: pretty much going bananas over him. The King of Greece 398 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:06,919 Speaker 1: actually turned to Schumann and said, I think you're the 399 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:09,480 Speaker 1: most popular man in Greece now, because he had just 400 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:13,080 Speaker 1: blown everybody away by being this incredible multi sport athlete. 401 00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:19,480 Speaker 1: So after the Games and their great success, Kuberton became 402 00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:23,720 Speaker 1: the International Olympic Committee President and that he replaced Demetrius 403 00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:26,280 Speaker 1: vick Halis, and this would be a job that he 404 00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:29,160 Speaker 1: would then have for a really long time. He remained 405 00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:34,080 Speaker 1: the IOC president until nineteen twenty five, which was twenty 406 00:22:34,119 --> 00:22:37,400 Speaker 1: nine years after he first took the job, and then 407 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:42,160 Speaker 1: he was named honorary president for life. And the first 408 00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:46,200 Speaker 1: Games that were staged under Kupetan's leadership as IOC president, 409 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:50,560 Speaker 1: they did not go well at all. They were in 410 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:55,080 Speaker 1: Paris in and we have to say that Kupeptin can't 411 00:22:55,119 --> 00:22:57,320 Speaker 1: really be shackled with all of the shame in this 412 00:22:57,840 --> 00:23:00,960 Speaker 1: because the games were kind of lumped together with the 413 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:05,879 Speaker 1: nine Paris Exposition. So control of the Olympics was pretty 414 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:09,119 Speaker 1: much taken over by the French government and they saw 415 00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:11,720 Speaker 1: the Olympics as a secondary event to the World's Fair. 416 00:23:12,119 --> 00:23:15,240 Speaker 1: So the Olympic planning really did not get enough attention 417 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:19,160 Speaker 1: or focused by the by the government committees. So there's 418 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:22,399 Speaker 1: an episode in our archive by previous hosts that is 419 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 1: specifically about these games and what a debacle they were. 420 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:27,440 Speaker 1: So we're just going to hit a few of the 421 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:31,760 Speaker 1: highlights of the misery and confusion of the Olympic Games. Uh, 422 00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:33,960 Speaker 1: We'll start with the fact that the committee that was 423 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:37,400 Speaker 1: doing the advertising and the promotion tended to like give 424 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:40,280 Speaker 1: out this information as being part of the expo programming, 425 00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:42,960 Speaker 1: so a lot of the athletes didn't even know that 426 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:46,719 Speaker 1: they were at the Olympics and that they were part 427 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:50,600 Speaker 1: of a completely different sporting event. And despite the fact 428 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:52,840 Speaker 1: that they may not have known what they were there for, 429 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:56,720 Speaker 1: there were far more athletes uh at the French Games 430 00:23:56,720 --> 00:23:58,800 Speaker 1: than there had been at the previous Games that were 431 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:01,960 Speaker 1: so successful in Athens. There were this time nine seven 432 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:05,520 Speaker 1: participants from twenty four countries. Although France by far had 433 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:09,760 Speaker 1: the most competitors involved in the games, also had the 434 00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:15,000 Speaker 1: first black Olympic competitor, Constantine Enrique de Zubierira I think, 435 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:19,360 Speaker 1: who participated on the French rugby team. So because these 436 00:24:19,400 --> 00:24:22,720 Speaker 1: games were in conjunction with the Expo, they dragged on 437 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:26,280 Speaker 1: and on and on. They opened on May the fourteenth 438 00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:34,640 Speaker 1: and they wrapped up on October. I have a friend 439 00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:37,600 Speaker 1: who's super end of the Olympics, like to the point 440 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:40,480 Speaker 1: that he says on Facebook, you just want to follow 441 00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:43,520 Speaker 1: me for the next two weeks, and it's like it's 442 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:47,440 Speaker 1: like minutely, it's almost like he's live tweeting the Olympics 443 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:51,040 Speaker 1: on its Facebook um and I don't I think his 444 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:54,560 Speaker 1: fingers would have fallen off. If the Olympics now are 445 00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:57,679 Speaker 1: going from May fourteenth until act just walked around like 446 00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:01,560 Speaker 1: this for long, you would have finger creent. So the 447 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 1: scheduling of the events was so poorly handled and the 448 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:07,160 Speaker 1: information was so poorly shared that a lot of them 449 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:10,720 Speaker 1: just like they happened with no journalists to cover them 450 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:13,560 Speaker 1: and no spectators either. Yeah. I think it was a 451 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:15,679 Speaker 1: croquet match where one person showed up and was like, 452 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:19,040 Speaker 1: am I even in the right place? I don't, I'm 453 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:24,000 Speaker 1: not from your country. Um. And the venues were entirely subpar, 454 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:26,840 Speaker 1: so they did not have a fabulously wealthy investor to 455 00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:32,920 Speaker 1: complete beautiful venues. Um. One of these things that was happening. 456 00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:35,800 Speaker 1: The track and field events were being held on like 457 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:40,480 Speaker 1: really slippery, uneven ground, so I can imagine how beautifully 458 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:44,000 Speaker 1: that went off. UM. And swimming was taking place in 459 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:47,120 Speaker 1: the sin and the currents were causing swimmers to have 460 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:52,040 Speaker 1: some really fast times. It was just kind of throwing 461 00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:56,719 Speaker 1: them down the river. Basically it was even faster than 462 00:25:56,760 --> 00:26:00,600 Speaker 1: the Rio pool apparently. So a lot of new events 463 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:03,200 Speaker 1: were added that year, and some of them have continued on. 464 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:08,399 Speaker 1: There was archery, rowing, and football that means soccer, uh, 465 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:10,840 Speaker 1: and then there were also events that that year, like 466 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:15,159 Speaker 1: croquetine golf that didn't become standard parts of the Olympic programs, 467 00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:19,439 Speaker 1: but golf did come back in so maybe we'll stick around. 468 00:26:19,880 --> 00:26:21,760 Speaker 1: And I'm going to confess I didn't follow it. I 469 00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:24,160 Speaker 1: don't know what happened or if it's still happening. Golf 470 00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:27,640 Speaker 1: was not my thing. Uh. And though the IOC did 471 00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:31,359 Speaker 1: not officially recognize women's events, twenty two women did participate 472 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:35,320 Speaker 1: in the Nine Games. You'll often hear about Great Britain's 473 00:26:35,359 --> 00:26:37,879 Speaker 1: Charlotte Cooper as being the first woman to win a 474 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:40,280 Speaker 1: gold medal in the modern Olympics. She won for tennis, 475 00:26:40,520 --> 00:26:44,320 Speaker 1: but there was actually another woman, Ein de Proper of Switzerland, 476 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:47,360 Speaker 1: who had competed on a yawning team and that one 477 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:50,760 Speaker 1: gold a couple of months prior to Cooper's victory, so 478 00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:53,680 Speaker 1: she didn't win an individual but she is technically really 479 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:55,680 Speaker 1: the first woman that ever won a gold. There was 480 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:59,800 Speaker 1: also an American woman, Margaret Abbott, who won a golden golf. However, 481 00:26:59,840 --> 00:27:01,359 Speaker 1: she was one of the people who did not know 482 00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:06,400 Speaker 1: that she was at that moment competing in the Olympics. Uh. 483 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:08,159 Speaker 1: And then Holly and I had a conversation on the 484 00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:10,719 Speaker 1: plane about she may not have even known that in 485 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:14,919 Speaker 1: her life. In her life. Uh, it's unclear whether whether 486 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:17,359 Speaker 1: this was something that people put the pieces together after 487 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:21,080 Speaker 1: she died or not. But regardless, all of this confusion 488 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:25,760 Speaker 1: was due to just terrible record keeping and bad bad communication. 489 00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:31,080 Speaker 1: Throughout the five month run of the Olympic Games. Uh. 490 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:34,399 Speaker 1: There were also some interesting things going on where in 491 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:37,359 Speaker 1: team events, and some of those included polo, sailing and 492 00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:40,400 Speaker 1: tennis where the participants weren't even all from the same 493 00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:43,240 Speaker 1: country because they couldn't kind of get it all together 494 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:45,200 Speaker 1: in one country and also they didn't know it was 495 00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:48,640 Speaker 1: the Olympics. So uh. This includes the Dutch two man 496 00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:51,720 Speaker 1: rowing team, which one gold and this is sort of fascinating. 497 00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:54,800 Speaker 1: It's one that Sarah Dablina talked about in their episodes 498 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:58,080 Speaker 1: specifically about this. But at the last moment, the cocks 499 00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:00,679 Speaker 1: in on the Dutch team had to be replaced, and 500 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:03,960 Speaker 1: the person that replaced them was like a young French boy, 501 00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:06,760 Speaker 1: like a young French boy like seven to thirteen is 502 00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:10,159 Speaker 1: where his age is guessed, and they won gold and 503 00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:12,760 Speaker 1: he was in the pictures and then he vanished and 504 00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:16,520 Speaker 1: no one has any idea who he ever was, So 505 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:19,119 Speaker 1: he's sometimes referred to as like the lost Olympian or 506 00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:22,119 Speaker 1: the missing Olympian. And I just wonder if there was 507 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,520 Speaker 1: just a kid wandering around France trying to tell people 508 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:26,200 Speaker 1: he had won an Olympic gold medal, of people like 509 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:32,159 Speaker 1: happy shop. Uh, so, obviously this was a mess. It 510 00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:34,600 Speaker 1: was so much of a mess that there was some 511 00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:37,280 Speaker 1: debate as to whether the nineteen hundred Games could even 512 00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:41,320 Speaker 1: be considered real Olympics. The French, though, did walk away 513 00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:44,520 Speaker 1: with a hundred medals, which made the governmental organizers really 514 00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:48,960 Speaker 1: happy about their involvement. Kumartan, though, was not really thrilled, 515 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:51,280 Speaker 1: and he really hoped that one day France would be 516 00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:55,200 Speaker 1: able to redeem itself as an Olympic host. And next up, 517 00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:57,840 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about the nineteen o four Games, 518 00:28:58,040 --> 00:29:01,680 Speaker 1: which saw history repeating itself almost immediately. But first we're 519 00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:13,840 Speaker 1: gonna pause for a sponsor break. We'll hop back in 520 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:16,760 Speaker 1: and talk about the ninety four Games, which took place 521 00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:19,920 Speaker 1: in St. Louis. And uh, you know, you might think 522 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:23,200 Speaker 1: that after that whole problem of running an Olympic Games 523 00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:27,040 Speaker 1: alongside an international exposition had been so evident, that we 524 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:30,480 Speaker 1: would never do it again, except we did it again. 525 00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:34,160 Speaker 1: The next time. They did the exact same thing. It's 526 00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:36,800 Speaker 1: after working on this podcast for three years that just 527 00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:39,720 Speaker 1: seems to happen a lot in history. Like that didn't work. 528 00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:46,960 Speaker 1: So the nine four Olympics were initially announced as a Chicago, 529 00:29:47,240 --> 00:29:50,880 Speaker 1: Illinois events, but then the organizers realized they were going 530 00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:54,840 Speaker 1: to be competing with the World's Fair in St. Louis, UH, 531 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:57,320 Speaker 1: and that the city of St. Louis had already arranged 532 00:29:57,320 --> 00:29:59,800 Speaker 1: to have the Amateur Athletic Union's Track and Field to 533 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:02,120 Speaker 1: Mpionships there at the same time. So basically there were 534 00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:05,840 Speaker 1: conflicts in the calendar. So the decision was made to 535 00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:09,479 Speaker 1: once again loop the Olympics and the Expo together, and 536 00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:11,720 Speaker 1: all of the exact same problems that had happened the 537 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:15,959 Speaker 1: previous time happened again. Yes, so once again because they 538 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:17,840 Speaker 1: wanted to run it kind of over the course of 539 00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:20,520 Speaker 1: the expo. It went on for months and months and months. 540 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:23,320 Speaker 1: I think that one was like April two October, but 541 00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:25,000 Speaker 1: it was very similar, like a four and a half 542 00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:29,840 Speaker 1: five months situation. Only twelve countries participated this time because 543 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:33,000 Speaker 1: Paris had been such a train wreck. UH, and of 544 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:36,480 Speaker 1: the six hundred and thirty athletes who did choose to compete, 545 00:30:37,240 --> 00:30:40,000 Speaker 1: three percent of those were from the US. So internationally 546 00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:44,600 Speaker 1: people were like, noop, uh, it was definitely not you know, 547 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:48,320 Speaker 1: the beautiful international people coming together event that Coo brook 548 00:30:48,360 --> 00:30:51,240 Speaker 1: Down always envisioned for the Olympic Games. He also didn't 549 00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:54,160 Speaker 1: envision a lot of cheating problem, but we had that 550 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:58,440 Speaker 1: in There was a boxer who entered the Games under 551 00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:01,600 Speaker 1: the assumed name of a popular or local person from St. Louis, 552 00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:04,080 Speaker 1: hoping that the judges would be more generous with his 553 00:31:04,200 --> 00:31:08,360 Speaker 1: points and would not recognize this very obvious fraud. They 554 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:12,280 Speaker 1: did eventually, but it took a shockingly long time. UM. 555 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:18,400 Speaker 1: And then the marathon winner, uh Fred Laure's had actually 556 00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:20,960 Speaker 1: become ill on the course while he was running, and 557 00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:23,680 Speaker 1: he dropped out of the event and got picked up 558 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:26,240 Speaker 1: by like an assistance vehicle, and then when that car 559 00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:28,880 Speaker 1: was carrying back carrying him back to the stadium, it 560 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:30,720 Speaker 1: broke down and he was like, well, I feel better, 561 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:36,480 Speaker 1: so he just jumped back in. So he rejoined the 562 00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:40,800 Speaker 1: race and he crossed the line first UM, and they 563 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:44,160 Speaker 1: eventually people realized someone had seen him do this, and 564 00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:48,040 Speaker 1: so later to avoid a lifetime ban from the sport, 565 00:31:48,080 --> 00:31:50,840 Speaker 1: because of course everybody was up in arms about it. 566 00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:55,200 Speaker 1: He claimed that he had experienced temporary insanity during the race. 567 00:31:56,800 --> 00:31:59,560 Speaker 1: This is where I go. Really, I was crazy. I 568 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:04,400 Speaker 1: think what I was doing really so after this nineteen 569 00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:07,760 Speaker 1: for uh the word that I was gonna say is 570 00:32:07,800 --> 00:32:10,840 Speaker 1: not appropriate for family audience. Uh. So I'm just gonna 571 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:15,280 Speaker 1: stay debacle. Uh, Coubertan wrote, quote, I had a sort 572 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:19,800 Speaker 1: of presentment that the Olympiad would match the mediocrity of 573 00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:23,120 Speaker 1: the town. He didn't. He wasn't a big fan of St. Louis. 574 00:32:23,320 --> 00:32:26,000 Speaker 1: Remember he was fancy and French. So you know, I'm 575 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:28,280 Speaker 1: glad we're not doing the show in St. Louis because 576 00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:31,520 Speaker 1: that might have been really offensive, would have been bad. 577 00:32:31,720 --> 00:32:35,000 Speaker 1: What was cooper up town? We didn't say that about St. Louis. Uh. 578 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:37,640 Speaker 1: And while the baron the Cup up prepared for the 579 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:39,600 Speaker 1: next games, which were going to be held in Rome, 580 00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:42,800 Speaker 1: he also busied himself in some other ways. Remember how 581 00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:44,680 Speaker 1: we talked about how he'd like to start groups and 582 00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:48,160 Speaker 1: do stuff. He'd never ever lost his passion for education. 583 00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:50,360 Speaker 1: So even while he was kind of spearheading all of 584 00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:53,560 Speaker 1: these Olympic events. He was also still trying to do 585 00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:57,600 Speaker 1: some some good and some revision and reform in the 586 00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:03,320 Speaker 1: education sphere, and so in nineteen o six he found SEMENT, 587 00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:07,440 Speaker 1: also known as the Association for Teaching Reform. So Holly 588 00:33:07,560 --> 00:33:10,480 Speaker 1: just said that the next Olympics were going to be 589 00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:14,040 Speaker 1: in Rome. But that is now what happened. Uh in 590 00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:18,360 Speaker 1: nine six, the Italian organizers were already way way behind schedule, 591 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:21,640 Speaker 1: and then on top of their being behind schedule, Vesuvius 592 00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:25,160 Speaker 1: erupted UH and it was immediately obvious that Rome was 593 00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:27,640 Speaker 1: not going to be ready for Olympics and time to 594 00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:31,360 Speaker 1: actually have them there. So Italy needed to also reallocate 595 00:33:31,400 --> 00:33:32,880 Speaker 1: all of the funds that we're supposed to go to 596 00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:35,760 Speaker 1: pay for the games to instead pay for a volcano cleanup. 597 00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:41,240 Speaker 1: So they decided to UH move them elsewhere, and London 598 00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:43,520 Speaker 1: offered to hope to host the games with only two 599 00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:45,640 Speaker 1: years to get ready for it. And that sounds like 600 00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:49,240 Speaker 1: we're leading to another disaster story. Those British got their 601 00:33:49,280 --> 00:33:53,720 Speaker 1: act together, though, man they didn't. These were incredibly incredibly 602 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:58,080 Speaker 1: well organized games under the leadership of British Olympic Association 603 00:33:58,160 --> 00:34:01,479 Speaker 1: chairman Lord Desbro. They were. It really considered to be 604 00:34:01,520 --> 00:34:03,840 Speaker 1: just pretty amazing in terms of how well run they were. 605 00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:07,080 Speaker 1: The venues had been built specifically for the games through 606 00:34:07,480 --> 00:34:10,640 Speaker 1: an interesting deal he worked where the Franco British Exhibition 607 00:34:10,680 --> 00:34:13,080 Speaker 1: of nineteen o eight actually footed the bill to build 608 00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:15,960 Speaker 1: all of these buildings in exchange for getting part of 609 00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:18,400 Speaker 1: the ticket sales back. So that was one of the 610 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:20,640 Speaker 1: ways that London kind of worked this whole deal financially. 611 00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:23,560 Speaker 1: And there was for the first time ever a pool 612 00:34:23,640 --> 00:34:25,759 Speaker 1: built for swimming events, so they didn't have to throw 613 00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:28,919 Speaker 1: guys down the river or take them by boat way 614 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:31,399 Speaker 1: far away and tell them to just get back onto 615 00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:35,880 Speaker 1: shore somehow swim back and gone drown. H two thousand 616 00:34:35,880 --> 00:34:39,120 Speaker 1: and eight athletes from twenty two different countries participated in 617 00:34:39,160 --> 00:34:42,160 Speaker 1: these Games, which once again went from April all the 618 00:34:42,160 --> 00:34:44,640 Speaker 1: way to October, so we hadn't quite worked that part 619 00:34:44,640 --> 00:34:50,160 Speaker 1: out yet. However, women were finally allowed to officially compete 620 00:34:50,200 --> 00:34:52,680 Speaker 1: in the Games, although Cooper Town was not a fan 621 00:34:52,880 --> 00:34:56,720 Speaker 1: of letting him do this. He called women's athletics quote 622 00:34:56,800 --> 00:35:04,520 Speaker 1: the most unesthetic site human eyes could co to play. Thanks, 623 00:35:04,560 --> 00:35:07,759 Speaker 1: what a charmer. But then when I think he said 624 00:35:07,840 --> 00:35:12,520 Speaker 1: in a French accent. I'm like, Okay, I don't agree, 625 00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:14,840 Speaker 1: but it's still cute. Also, we did not mention and 626 00:35:14,880 --> 00:35:17,880 Speaker 1: I didn't put it in these notes. Go look up 627 00:35:17,920 --> 00:35:21,520 Speaker 1: Pierre the Kubel on the internet. The most spectacular mustache 628 00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:24,279 Speaker 1: you have ever seen on the planet. He had a 629 00:35:24,280 --> 00:35:29,279 Speaker 1: pretty spectacular, pretty mustache of wonderful, slightly goofy. Yeah. When 630 00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:31,560 Speaker 1: we were settling on what topic to do for our 631 00:35:31,640 --> 00:35:35,960 Speaker 1: live show here, you kept sending me pictures. I'm like, like, 632 00:35:36,040 --> 00:35:37,480 Speaker 1: this will make you want to do this one and 633 00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:41,359 Speaker 1: I was like, sure, that's I just gave her up. 634 00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:47,040 Speaker 1: It was like death by a thousand cups of mustache pictures. Uh. 635 00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:49,520 Speaker 1: And while this was really where the games as we 636 00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:52,000 Speaker 1: see them started to develop and take shape, there was 637 00:35:52,040 --> 00:35:55,120 Speaker 1: definitely drama as well as some very interesting developments. So 638 00:35:55,160 --> 00:35:57,520 Speaker 1: we'll take off a few of those. The first one 639 00:35:57,880 --> 00:36:01,239 Speaker 1: is that the marathon finally got its now standard point 640 00:36:01,280 --> 00:36:06,919 Speaker 1: two mile distance at these games. So prior to that 641 00:36:07,120 --> 00:36:09,600 Speaker 1: the distance had varied. And one of the reasons that 642 00:36:09,719 --> 00:36:13,120 Speaker 1: this distance happened at these games is that that last 643 00:36:13,239 --> 00:36:16,279 Speaker 1: hundred and ninets needed to be added so they would 644 00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:19,960 Speaker 1: finish under the Royal box. Because the Royal people had 645 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:24,160 Speaker 1: to see it. They had to see the big finish. Uh. 646 00:36:24,239 --> 00:36:27,400 Speaker 1: The winner of that marathon, he was an Italian named 647 00:36:27,480 --> 00:36:32,319 Speaker 1: Dorondo Pietri. Collapsed on the track before the finish and 648 00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:35,320 Speaker 1: was helped to the end, which is a very Olympic story, 649 00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:39,239 Speaker 1: but his victory was disqualified because of the part where 650 00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:44,680 Speaker 1: someone helped him. Maybe that's not as Olympic in its story, nous. 651 00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:48,440 Speaker 1: But an American named Johnny Hayes caught after all of 652 00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:51,080 Speaker 1: that was a person declared the winner, and we should 653 00:36:51,080 --> 00:36:53,440 Speaker 1: point out it wasn't another athlete that stopped and helped him. 654 00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:55,959 Speaker 1: It was it was like people that were just people 655 00:36:55,960 --> 00:36:58,200 Speaker 1: who were around. I think it was Olympic officials that 656 00:36:58,280 --> 00:37:00,400 Speaker 1: kind of were like, oh, come on, you can finish. 657 00:37:00,440 --> 00:37:03,480 Speaker 1: He did get sort of a I don't remember what 658 00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:05,160 Speaker 1: exactly they gave him. They gave him kind of a 659 00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:08,359 Speaker 1: consolation prize for having great Olympic spirit and you know, 660 00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:10,720 Speaker 1: working so hard, like they didn't want to just go joint. 661 00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:12,319 Speaker 1: We took your prize away and gave it to this 662 00:37:12,360 --> 00:37:16,680 Speaker 1: other guy. Um. That was also the first year that 663 00:37:16,760 --> 00:37:20,560 Speaker 1: the parade of athletes behind their national flag started. But 664 00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:23,280 Speaker 1: there were some protests that happened in it. So, first 665 00:37:23,320 --> 00:37:27,320 Speaker 1: the United States refused to dip their flag in honor 666 00:37:27,360 --> 00:37:30,319 Speaker 1: of Britain's King Edward the seventh. We fought a war 667 00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:32,520 Speaker 1: and not have to do that, right, And that's one 668 00:37:32,560 --> 00:37:35,239 Speaker 1: of those things that it kept coming up. I saw 669 00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:37,880 Speaker 1: that referenced in several different places, and every time it 670 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:42,120 Speaker 1: would kind of coda with a tradition that continues today. 671 00:37:43,640 --> 00:37:45,719 Speaker 1: So like they just kind of I always assume that 672 00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:50,480 Speaker 1: some British person writing Americans are still jerks. Um. Russian 673 00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:53,600 Speaker 1: rule in Finland was being protested by the Finnish athletes, 674 00:37:53,960 --> 00:37:57,800 Speaker 1: so they refused to carry a flag because it represented that. Uh. 675 00:37:57,800 --> 00:38:00,920 Speaker 1: And Irish athletes refused to participate under the flag of 676 00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:03,360 Speaker 1: Great Britain and most of them ended up not competing 677 00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:06,640 Speaker 1: at all because of It's I can't believe there was 678 00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:12,600 Speaker 1: this much drama about flags. Do you have a flag? Uh? 679 00:38:12,719 --> 00:38:15,440 Speaker 1: So the awarding of medals had not been uniform in 680 00:38:15,480 --> 00:38:20,839 Speaker 1: previous Olympics. Um. The London Games awarded medals to all winners. Yeah, 681 00:38:20,880 --> 00:38:24,040 Speaker 1: and some of the Olympics prior to that, sometimes they 682 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:28,200 Speaker 1: would get medals and then like and I don't mean like, oh, 683 00:38:28,239 --> 00:38:30,440 Speaker 1: in this Olympics, they got medals, and in this in 684 00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:32,759 Speaker 1: the same Olympics, some people would get medals and others 685 00:38:32,760 --> 00:38:35,960 Speaker 1: would get like a certificate. Um. You can imagine how 686 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:38,520 Speaker 1: I rpe making that would be. Uh. And in the 687 00:38:38,600 --> 00:38:43,360 Speaker 1: four final, American runner J. C. Carpenter in these Olympics 688 00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:47,160 Speaker 1: was found to have obstructed British competitor Wyndham Hallswell. So 689 00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:50,600 Speaker 1: the race results were completely thrown out and the solution 690 00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:54,799 Speaker 1: was that they were going to have a do over. Um. 691 00:38:54,840 --> 00:38:58,799 Speaker 1: But the Americans were very crabby about the whole thing 692 00:38:58,800 --> 00:39:01,799 Speaker 1: and refused to participate, and in the end Hallswell was 693 00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:06,359 Speaker 1: the only one and he ran the race alone. Uh 694 00:39:06,360 --> 00:39:09,000 Speaker 1: so he automatically won the gold. Did he did he 695 00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:10,879 Speaker 1: try hired when he ran or was he just like 696 00:39:11,200 --> 00:39:14,399 Speaker 1: I'm doing it now? You know? I think I think 697 00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:17,400 Speaker 1: he put fourth effort. He felt a little cheated by 698 00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:20,600 Speaker 1: having been obstructed the first time around. Sure. So it 699 00:39:20,680 --> 00:39:24,040 Speaker 1: was decided at the Games that future Games would include 700 00:39:24,080 --> 00:39:28,719 Speaker 1: competitions in the arts, specifically literature, architecture and sculpture, which 701 00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:30,960 Speaker 1: was actually another contender for the topic of Our Lives 702 00:39:30,960 --> 00:39:32,640 Speaker 1: show is one of the things we talked about. Maybe 703 00:39:32,640 --> 00:39:35,799 Speaker 1: talking about those awards were part of the Games from 704 00:39:35,880 --> 00:39:40,240 Speaker 1: nineteen twelve to night. And now we're going to jump 705 00:39:41,280 --> 00:39:44,160 Speaker 1: to a really good one because in nineteen twelve the 706 00:39:44,239 --> 00:39:47,840 Speaker 1: next one, the fifth Olympiad. This took place in Stockholm, 707 00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:50,040 Speaker 1: and this is when the modern Olympic Games really really 708 00:39:50,080 --> 00:39:53,439 Speaker 1: hit their stride. Like they were good. They ran from 709 00:39:53,440 --> 00:39:56,000 Speaker 1: May to July, so not the four to five months 710 00:39:56,520 --> 00:40:00,000 Speaker 1: big extended festival. They were attended by two thousand, four 711 00:40:00,040 --> 00:40:04,160 Speaker 1: hundred seven athletes from twenty eight countries, including forty eight women, 712 00:40:04,520 --> 00:40:11,640 Speaker 1: participating in an ever expanding field of events. Sorry, he 713 00:40:11,719 --> 00:40:17,319 Speaker 1: would hate the Olympics. Now, yeah, maybe he would hate 714 00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:20,960 Speaker 1: some of the Olympics. Yeah. The games were so efficient 715 00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:23,759 Speaker 1: and so well run that they were nicknamed the Swedish Masterpiece. 716 00:40:24,520 --> 00:40:28,280 Speaker 1: Photo finish and automatic timing made their way their Olympic 717 00:40:28,360 --> 00:40:32,160 Speaker 1: debus this year, and they really legitimize the competition in 718 00:40:32,200 --> 00:40:34,520 Speaker 1: the whole a whole new way because now you had 719 00:40:34,719 --> 00:40:38,839 Speaker 1: like very precise ways of telling who would it just 720 00:40:38,960 --> 00:40:41,560 Speaker 1: you know, added a little science to the mix. Uh. 721 00:40:41,560 --> 00:40:44,360 Speaker 1: And while the Stockholm Games went off just about perfectly, 722 00:40:44,360 --> 00:40:48,799 Speaker 1: there was one small issue in that the boxing competition 723 00:40:48,920 --> 00:40:54,040 Speaker 1: was canceled because the Swedish organizers found it distasteful UM, 724 00:40:54,080 --> 00:40:58,880 Speaker 1: and this led to the IOC eventually restricting the responsibilities 725 00:40:58,920 --> 00:41:02,439 Speaker 1: that local host groups had over making decisions like that 726 00:41:02,680 --> 00:41:04,560 Speaker 1: so that they wouldn't be able to make changes in 727 00:41:04,560 --> 00:41:07,560 Speaker 1: the program. Kind of late in the game, but just 728 00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:11,120 Speaker 1: the same. Finally everyone could agree that in Sweden the 729 00:41:11,160 --> 00:41:14,919 Speaker 1: modern Olympics had arrived. So now we're going to get 730 00:41:14,920 --> 00:41:18,640 Speaker 1: into Pierre to cub Suddenly, I can't say his name. 731 00:41:18,640 --> 00:41:20,760 Speaker 1: We're now we're going to get into Pierre to cupboard 732 00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:23,600 Speaker 1: ten's final years. I still didn't say it right, Okay, 733 00:41:23,760 --> 00:41:27,200 Speaker 1: my mouth has stopped working. As we mentioned earlier, he 734 00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:30,800 Speaker 1: served as president for another thirteen years. Once the Paris 735 00:41:30,840 --> 00:41:33,799 Speaker 1: Games of nineteen twenty four had wrapped up, he was 736 00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:37,359 Speaker 1: basically ready to retire. The nineteen twenty four event had 737 00:41:37,360 --> 00:41:40,480 Speaker 1: been in success that had drawn record numbers of attendees 738 00:41:40,520 --> 00:41:44,640 Speaker 1: and athletes and participating countries and journalists to cover all 739 00:41:44,680 --> 00:41:47,200 Speaker 1: of it, so basically Paris had been redeemed from this 740 00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:50,719 Speaker 1: nineteen hundred debacle, and the same year as his retirement, 741 00:41:50,719 --> 00:41:54,040 Speaker 1: which was the year after that, nive Um as active 742 00:41:54,120 --> 00:41:57,600 Speaker 1: duty president, he also founded the Olympic Museum and Library, 743 00:41:57,800 --> 00:42:01,440 Speaker 1: and this includes his extend ends of writing and records, 744 00:42:01,440 --> 00:42:03,480 Speaker 1: because throughout all of this, every time he had made 745 00:42:03,480 --> 00:42:06,359 Speaker 1: a speech from the eighteen eighties on, he made notes. 746 00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:09,520 Speaker 1: He kept it every meeting that he had, every piece 747 00:42:09,520 --> 00:42:12,719 Speaker 1: of notation he made about the Olympics in each year 748 00:42:12,719 --> 00:42:14,839 Speaker 1: that they were happening, in all of the planning. He 749 00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:17,520 Speaker 1: had been writing about it prolifically the whole time. So 750 00:42:17,600 --> 00:42:20,040 Speaker 1: that sort of formed the basis for this museum and 751 00:42:20,120 --> 00:42:24,120 Speaker 1: library and all of his correspondence that was used as 752 00:42:24,160 --> 00:42:27,360 Speaker 1: part of this, you know, move to really reignite the 753 00:42:27,360 --> 00:42:32,600 Speaker 1: the Olympic flame throughout the world. He continued his educational 754 00:42:32,640 --> 00:42:37,320 Speaker 1: work during this time too. He established I can't you 755 00:42:37,360 --> 00:42:39,480 Speaker 1: can just do the English. I was saying in English. 756 00:42:39,680 --> 00:42:45,239 Speaker 1: It's getting late now the Universal Pedagogical Union, and that 757 00:42:45,280 --> 00:42:49,080 Speaker 1: was in nineteen five. Then in ninety eight he insisted, 758 00:42:49,200 --> 00:42:51,600 Speaker 1: he insists, that's not what it says. That I swear, 759 00:42:51,640 --> 00:42:55,880 Speaker 1: this is not vodka. I also I even printed my 760 00:42:55,960 --> 00:42:58,120 Speaker 1: notes really big so that I would be sure to 761 00:42:58,120 --> 00:43:00,239 Speaker 1: be able to read them on the stage. And yet 762 00:43:00,320 --> 00:43:03,960 Speaker 1: I'm having trouble now it's late. Uh. In ninety eight 763 00:43:04,040 --> 00:43:09,040 Speaker 1: he instituted the International Sports Education Office, so he was 764 00:43:09,040 --> 00:43:12,640 Speaker 1: still doing a whole lot of group group forming regulating 765 00:43:12,719 --> 00:43:16,160 Speaker 1: to sports and athletics, and then in nineteen thirty six, 766 00:43:16,160 --> 00:43:17,960 Speaker 1: so a little bit later, it was kind of a 767 00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:20,400 Speaker 1: mixed year for k He was a candidate for the 768 00:43:20,440 --> 00:43:22,440 Speaker 1: Nobel Peace Prize that year because of all of his 769 00:43:22,480 --> 00:43:24,480 Speaker 1: work in the Olympic Games, but he did not win. 770 00:43:24,560 --> 00:43:27,239 Speaker 1: The prize that year was awarded to Argentine politician and 771 00:43:27,280 --> 00:43:31,600 Speaker 1: academic Carlos sa Lamas, who was the first Latin American 772 00:43:31,680 --> 00:43:34,720 Speaker 1: recipient of the Nobel Prize. So pretty exciting for him, 773 00:43:34,760 --> 00:43:38,320 Speaker 1: not so much for kuber Fan. He did win another 774 00:43:38,360 --> 00:43:41,480 Speaker 1: award in nineteen thirty six, however, that was the Virginny 775 00:43:41,800 --> 00:43:45,520 Speaker 1: Harold Prize, named for a famed French olympian and yachts 776 00:43:45,520 --> 00:43:47,799 Speaker 1: woman from the nineteen twenties. Yeah, she was kind of 777 00:43:47,840 --> 00:43:49,480 Speaker 1: if you listen to the show, she was kind of 778 00:43:49,560 --> 00:43:52,440 Speaker 1: running in the same circles as Joe Carstairs, one of 779 00:43:52,440 --> 00:43:56,600 Speaker 1: my big favorites of her. Um. But the nineteen thirty 780 00:43:56,600 --> 00:43:59,279 Speaker 1: six Olympics, despite him having this interesting year in terms 781 00:43:59,280 --> 00:44:05,200 Speaker 1: of awards and recognition, were incredibly stressful for Kup because 782 00:44:05,239 --> 00:44:08,520 Speaker 1: when the IOC had selected Berlin as the location for 783 00:44:08,560 --> 00:44:12,000 Speaker 1: the thirty six Olympics. It was nineteen thirty one, and 784 00:44:12,040 --> 00:44:14,279 Speaker 1: it was two years after that that Hitler became the 785 00:44:14,360 --> 00:44:19,399 Speaker 1: Chancellor of Germany and everything changed um and in that 786 00:44:19,520 --> 00:44:23,600 Speaker 1: moment when they had awarded it to Germany in thirty one, 787 00:44:23,719 --> 00:44:26,280 Speaker 1: it was sort of this great indicator that the strife 788 00:44:26,280 --> 00:44:29,320 Speaker 1: of World War One was being put aside and Germany 789 00:44:29,400 --> 00:44:31,880 Speaker 1: was once again sort of being welcomed into the global 790 00:44:31,960 --> 00:44:35,120 Speaker 1: village and everyone was going to be cool. But that, 791 00:44:35,200 --> 00:44:38,160 Speaker 1: of course is not how I played out, No, because he, 792 00:44:38,480 --> 00:44:42,000 Speaker 1: as we said, became the Chancellor of Germany two years later, 793 00:44:42,080 --> 00:44:44,240 Speaker 1: and so by the end of nineteen thirty three, German 794 00:44:44,280 --> 00:44:48,160 Speaker 1: sports organizations had instituted a policy that only Arians could 795 00:44:48,160 --> 00:44:51,880 Speaker 1: participate in athletic clubs, and as a consequence of the 796 00:44:51,880 --> 00:44:54,800 Speaker 1: anti semitism and racism that were in place in Germany, 797 00:44:54,840 --> 00:44:57,560 Speaker 1: a lot of countries started a boycott movement against the 798 00:44:57,640 --> 00:45:01,280 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty six Games. Is another game the past hosts 799 00:45:01,280 --> 00:45:05,560 Speaker 1: have talked about specifically on the show uh and included 800 00:45:05,560 --> 00:45:08,280 Speaker 1: in part of the movements of boycott where the United States, 801 00:45:08,280 --> 00:45:13,320 Speaker 1: Great Britain, France, Sweden, the Netherlands and Czechoslovakia. But eventually 802 00:45:13,400 --> 00:45:16,960 Speaker 1: that boycott crumbled, it did not hold, and forty nine 803 00:45:17,040 --> 00:45:20,040 Speaker 1: nations did participate in the games, and Pierre de Coubertin 804 00:45:20,200 --> 00:45:22,880 Speaker 1: had been invited, but he declined he wanted nothing to 805 00:45:22,920 --> 00:45:24,960 Speaker 1: do with it, and the games really turned into a 806 00:45:24,960 --> 00:45:28,440 Speaker 1: big propaganda play for Hitler's Germany and later came to 807 00:45:28,480 --> 00:45:32,080 Speaker 1: be known as the Nazi Games. Uh. This is, however, 808 00:45:32,120 --> 00:45:35,279 Speaker 1: also the Games where American Jesse Owens famously won four 809 00:45:35,320 --> 00:45:38,239 Speaker 1: gold medals. So the Nazi Games, but with a little 810 00:45:38,360 --> 00:45:43,800 Speaker 1: nice stab from the US. After the Olympics concluded in Berlin, 811 00:45:43,960 --> 00:45:46,799 Speaker 1: Kubertin was described by his friends as being the sort 812 00:45:46,800 --> 00:45:50,640 Speaker 1: of state of melancholy. The troubles surrounding Germany as a 813 00:45:50,719 --> 00:45:52,600 Speaker 1: host of the Games were one cause, but he was 814 00:45:52,640 --> 00:45:56,880 Speaker 1: also really dealing with serious financial issues. Yeah, Pierre was 815 00:45:57,160 --> 00:45:59,600 Speaker 1: deeply troubled at the thought of all his life's work 816 00:45:59,640 --> 00:46:01,880 Speaker 1: falling apart because of a lack of money, Like he 817 00:46:01,920 --> 00:46:04,600 Speaker 1: had really put a lot of his own money in 818 00:46:04,640 --> 00:46:06,960 Speaker 1: addition to his own time in kind of getting all 819 00:46:07,000 --> 00:46:10,480 Speaker 1: of this stuff off the ground. And uh. In August 820 00:46:10,560 --> 00:46:12,920 Speaker 1: of ninety seven, he wrote in a letter to a 821 00:46:12,960 --> 00:46:18,000 Speaker 1: close friend, quote, these adverse circumstances have created an agonizing situation. 822 00:46:18,520 --> 00:46:21,720 Speaker 1: The loss of my personal fortune threatens my lifelong effort 823 00:46:21,760 --> 00:46:27,200 Speaker 1: at enlightening pedagogical progress. Also in nineteen thirties seven, he 824 00:46:27,280 --> 00:46:30,080 Speaker 1: was honored by the city of las Ange, Switzerland. Is 825 00:46:30,080 --> 00:46:33,520 Speaker 1: that how you say that? Okay good as an honorary 826 00:46:33,560 --> 00:46:41,120 Speaker 1: citizen and this isn't the Suddenly my mind just went, 827 00:46:41,200 --> 00:46:45,400 Speaker 1: what do you want me to read? Uh? And uh? 828 00:46:45,640 --> 00:46:48,040 Speaker 1: This is uh. The la Fan became home to the 829 00:46:48,120 --> 00:46:50,480 Speaker 1: International Olympic Committee in nineteen fifteen, so that's why they 830 00:46:50,560 --> 00:46:53,840 Speaker 1: named him an honorary citizen. And while colleagues from the 831 00:46:53,880 --> 00:46:56,440 Speaker 1: International Olympic Committee as well as many of his friends 832 00:46:56,640 --> 00:46:59,480 Speaker 1: were trying to brainstorm ways that they might help Kuber 833 00:46:59,560 --> 00:47:04,000 Speaker 1: to find actually that discussion quickly, unfortunately became moot because 834 00:47:04,239 --> 00:47:09,239 Speaker 1: not long after the Lausanne celebration, on September two seven, 835 00:47:09,360 --> 00:47:11,120 Speaker 1: he had a heart attack while he was walking in 836 00:47:11,160 --> 00:47:14,400 Speaker 1: a park in Geneva and he died. So his body 837 00:47:14,600 --> 00:47:16,839 Speaker 1: was laid to rest there in las Ane, but at 838 00:47:16,880 --> 00:47:21,200 Speaker 1: the blood of a cemetery, but his heart was interred 839 00:47:21,280 --> 00:47:24,719 Speaker 1: adjacent to the ruins of ancient Olympia, Greece with a 840 00:47:24,800 --> 00:47:27,799 Speaker 1: commemoration of the revival of the Olympic Games, and that 841 00:47:27,880 --> 00:47:30,600 Speaker 1: was done seven months after he died, and was done 842 00:47:31,160 --> 00:47:33,960 Speaker 1: to honor and fulfill his wishes, which I feel like 843 00:47:34,080 --> 00:47:36,400 Speaker 1: is important because that would be a weird symbolism to 844 00:47:36,440 --> 00:47:40,160 Speaker 1: do without someone's I don't know if anybody would have 845 00:47:40,200 --> 00:47:41,960 Speaker 1: been down with somebody going, you know what he should 846 00:47:41,960 --> 00:47:45,719 Speaker 1: do is put his heart in Olympia. His ghost was 847 00:47:45,800 --> 00:47:50,840 Speaker 1: like we we so, except that didn't happen because he 848 00:47:51,920 --> 00:47:56,239 Speaker 1: was like, please do this, uh so let us And 849 00:47:56,520 --> 00:47:59,120 Speaker 1: to end, we're gonna talk about kind of a thing 850 00:47:59,160 --> 00:48:02,120 Speaker 1: that inspired him um to create sort of the creed 851 00:48:02,160 --> 00:48:05,520 Speaker 1: of the Olympic Games. And that's the During the London Games, 852 00:48:06,200 --> 00:48:09,080 Speaker 1: Pierre was inspired by the words of the Bishop of 853 00:48:09,120 --> 00:48:12,520 Speaker 1: Bethlehem who is Ethelbert Talbot, and that bishop was addressing 854 00:48:12,520 --> 00:48:15,280 Speaker 1: a group of athletes and officials and he was conveying 855 00:48:15,320 --> 00:48:18,400 Speaker 1: this really important message that winning was not to be 856 00:48:18,480 --> 00:48:23,240 Speaker 1: gained at all costs. And the IOC president Piot after 857 00:48:23,280 --> 00:48:26,080 Speaker 1: that crafted this sentiment into the following phrase, which has 858 00:48:26,120 --> 00:48:29,719 Speaker 1: become the Olympic creed, and that is lampoon don la 859 00:48:29,800 --> 00:48:36,239 Speaker 1: vis and epoix le clo may look on backs made 860 00:48:36,239 --> 00:48:39,040 Speaker 1: a set club gain bat So the important thing in 861 00:48:39,080 --> 00:48:42,560 Speaker 1: life is not the triumph, but the struggle. The essential 862 00:48:42,600 --> 00:48:44,879 Speaker 1: thing is not to have won, but to have fought well. 863 00:48:46,160 --> 00:48:48,680 Speaker 1: So that's the scoop on the Olympics and how they 864 00:48:48,719 --> 00:49:03,879 Speaker 1: got started here. Yeah, one super quick addendum to the show. 865 00:49:04,440 --> 00:49:06,239 Speaker 1: It came up during our Q and A that there 866 00:49:06,320 --> 00:49:08,960 Speaker 1: is a medal for sportsmanship and Olympic Spirit. That's the 867 00:49:09,040 --> 00:49:11,759 Speaker 1: name for Pierre to Coopertan. It's only been awarded just 868 00:49:11,800 --> 00:49:14,719 Speaker 1: a very few times in Olympic history, and coincidentally, the 869 00:49:14,800 --> 00:49:18,280 Speaker 1: day after our show, it was awarded to uh Nikki 870 00:49:18,320 --> 00:49:21,280 Speaker 1: Hamblin of New Zealand and Abby Gagostino of the United States, 871 00:49:21,400 --> 00:49:23,880 Speaker 1: who are the runners who collided during their heat for 872 00:49:23,920 --> 00:49:26,520 Speaker 1: the women's five thousand meter race and then helped each 873 00:49:26,560 --> 00:49:29,080 Speaker 1: other up and basically continued to help each other as 874 00:49:29,120 --> 00:49:32,719 Speaker 1: they crossed the finish line. So that happened, and it 875 00:49:32,760 --> 00:49:35,759 Speaker 1: happened just after we had talked about him one more time. 876 00:49:35,840 --> 00:49:40,280 Speaker 1: Thank you everyone who waited around an additional two hours 877 00:49:40,719 --> 00:49:44,919 Speaker 1: for our folks. It was really incredible and I feel 878 00:49:44,920 --> 00:49:46,680 Speaker 1: like we have to thank the d M A like 879 00:49:46,760 --> 00:49:49,359 Speaker 1: to the high heavens. They were really incredible to work with. 880 00:49:49,640 --> 00:49:52,320 Speaker 1: Jesse Frasier, as we mentioned at the top of the episode, 881 00:49:52,440 --> 00:49:56,320 Speaker 1: was amazing. She was so spectacular and just rolled with 882 00:49:56,360 --> 00:49:58,879 Speaker 1: all of this craziness. And then when our event was over, 883 00:49:59,200 --> 00:50:01,160 Speaker 1: we had only a limit did time until the museum 884 00:50:01,200 --> 00:50:03,040 Speaker 1: went into lockdown for the night, and she ran us 885 00:50:03,080 --> 00:50:05,719 Speaker 1: around and showed us all the best stuff. She was incredible. 886 00:50:05,800 --> 00:50:07,840 Speaker 1: It was such a great evening. Like I said, despite 887 00:50:07,840 --> 00:50:11,239 Speaker 1: the frantic nous, thank you, thank you, thank you. I 888 00:50:11,320 --> 00:50:13,920 Speaker 1: don't have regular listener mail since we are running along 889 00:50:13,960 --> 00:50:15,279 Speaker 1: on this one, but I did want to do a 890 00:50:15,280 --> 00:50:19,960 Speaker 1: shout out related a little bit UH to museums, because 891 00:50:19,960 --> 00:50:23,120 Speaker 1: we've gotten a number of postcards from our listeners who 892 00:50:23,520 --> 00:50:26,040 Speaker 1: went to see the Visions le Bron exhibit that has 893 00:50:26,080 --> 00:50:28,359 Speaker 1: been touring UH, and I just wanted to say thank 894 00:50:28,400 --> 00:50:31,200 Speaker 1: you to them. In particular, we got one from Mary 895 00:50:31,280 --> 00:50:35,120 Speaker 1: Jane and it is lovely. It's one of her self portraits. 896 00:50:35,120 --> 00:50:37,439 Speaker 1: And then we got another from a listener whose name 897 00:50:37,480 --> 00:50:40,480 Speaker 1: is obscured on the postcard by postal markings, as all 898 00:50:40,520 --> 00:50:43,160 Speaker 1: too often happens, so I can't thank her by name, 899 00:50:43,160 --> 00:50:46,000 Speaker 1: but I will say it is the person who UH 900 00:50:46,320 --> 00:50:49,880 Speaker 1: recently relocated to London, so if that is you, thank you, 901 00:50:49,920 --> 00:50:52,040 Speaker 1: thank you, thank you. It is also another visual le 902 00:50:52,120 --> 00:50:55,200 Speaker 1: bla self portrait, but not the same one. So thank you. Guys. 903 00:50:55,280 --> 00:50:58,160 Speaker 1: I get so excited knowing that that you got excited 904 00:50:58,560 --> 00:51:00,640 Speaker 1: and went and saw this exhibit. So thank you, thank you. 905 00:51:00,760 --> 00:51:02,160 Speaker 1: If you would like to write to us, you can 906 00:51:02,160 --> 00:51:05,560 Speaker 1: do so at History Podcast, at how stuff works dot com. 907 00:51:05,600 --> 00:51:07,920 Speaker 1: You can find us pretty much anywhere on social media 908 00:51:08,719 --> 00:51:11,680 Speaker 1: under the tag at missed in History, that goes for Twitter, 909 00:51:11,960 --> 00:51:16,920 Speaker 1: that goes for Facebook, that goes for Instagram, Tumbler, basically anywhere. Uh. 910 00:51:17,120 --> 00:51:20,640 Speaker 1: If you would like to, uh, go to our website, 911 00:51:21,160 --> 00:51:23,120 Speaker 1: you can do that. It is missed in History dot com. 912 00:51:23,200 --> 00:51:25,840 Speaker 1: We have show notes from every episode Tracy and I 913 00:51:25,920 --> 00:51:27,640 Speaker 1: have worked on together, as well as an archive of 914 00:51:27,680 --> 00:51:30,839 Speaker 1: every episode ever ever ever. Uh. You can also visit 915 00:51:30,840 --> 00:51:33,280 Speaker 1: our parent site, how stuff Works. Type in the words 916 00:51:33,280 --> 00:51:36,040 Speaker 1: Olympic or type in the word Olympics in the search bar, 917 00:51:36,160 --> 00:51:38,040 Speaker 1: and you're going to find all kinds of things about 918 00:51:38,080 --> 00:51:41,160 Speaker 1: Olympic history. So we encourage you come and visit us 919 00:51:41,160 --> 00:51:43,560 Speaker 1: at misston history dot com and how stuff works dot 920 00:51:43,560 --> 00:51:50,160 Speaker 1: com for more on this and thousands of other topics. 921 00:51:50,320 --> 00:52:00,040 Speaker 1: Does it how stuff works dot com. I