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