1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi, I'm Eves and You're listening to This 3 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:10,680 Speaker 1: Day in History Class, a show that makes time travel 4 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:25,439 Speaker 1: a little bit easier. Today is January. The day was 5 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 1: January nine. The first ever Winter Olympic Games began in Shamoni, France. 6 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:37,920 Speaker 1: Initially called the International Winter Sports Week, the International Olympic 7 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:42,559 Speaker 1: Committee soon designated the event the first Winter Olympics. The 8 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 1: first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece. In 9 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:51,880 Speaker 1: just five years after the First Olympics, the Swedish Central 10 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 1: Association for the Promotion of Sports launched the Nordic Games. 11 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:00,040 Speaker 1: The Nordic Games were usually held in Stockholm, Sweden, and 12 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: included athletes from Nordic countries. The Games were held under 13 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:09,840 Speaker 1: the notion of pan Nordic nationalism. They featured winter sports 14 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:14,240 Speaker 1: like downhill skiing, ice hockey and skiing behind reindeer, as 15 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 1: well as other sports that weren't winter specific, but winter 16 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 1: sports were creeping into the Olympic Games. Figure skating was 17 00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 1: included in the nineteen o eight Summer Olympics in London. 18 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 1: When the Summer Olympics were held in Stockholm in nineteen twelve, 19 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 1: Sweden saw to it that no winter sports would be 20 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: included that would pose a conflict with its Nordic Games, 21 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: which were pretty popular. Despite this, Germany planned to stage 22 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:44,480 Speaker 1: winter Games before the nineteen sixteen Summer Games set to 23 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:47,720 Speaker 1: take place in the country, but those games were canceled 24 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 1: because of the outbreak of World War One. The Nordic Games, however, 25 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 1: pressed on Sweden, Denmark and Norway were neutral in the war. 26 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 1: Figure skating and ice hockey appeared in the nineteen twenty 27 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 1: Summer Games in Antwerp, Belgium. Two years later. The Nordic 28 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 1: Games featured a significant amount of non Swedish athletes for 29 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:12,079 Speaker 1: the first time. But the Olympics were steadily gaining popularity 30 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 1: in members of the International Olympic Committee or IOC brought 31 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: up the idea of establishing a winter version of the 32 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:24,520 Speaker 1: Olympic Games. Of course, Nordic countries opposed this idea for 33 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: the sake of their Nordic Games, but the IOC pressed 34 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: forward with plans to organize an international week of winter 35 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:34,640 Speaker 1: sport that would be part of the nine Olympic Games 36 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:39,359 Speaker 1: in Paris in nine a congress planned out the competition's 37 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:44,240 Speaker 1: calendar in sports, which included bob sleigh curling, speed skating, 38 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:49,000 Speaker 1: ski jumping, and other winter events. Shamoni mont Blanc was 39 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 1: chosen as the host for the Winter Games. At this point, 40 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 1: the competition was not sanctioned as an official Olympic Games. 41 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 1: Shamoni agreed to build certain facilities in May, attained them, 42 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 1: and the French National Olympic Committee helped fund the creation 43 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 1: of the new facilities. The Winter Sports Week lasted from 44 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:13,120 Speaker 1: January to February five of nineteen four. Sixteen countries and 45 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:17,399 Speaker 1: around two hundred and fifty eight athletes participated. Around ten 46 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 1: thousand people attended the competition. Women were only allowed to 47 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: compete in figure skating, and eleven of them did so. 48 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:29,080 Speaker 1: Norway got the most medals, ending the week with seventeen, 49 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:32,640 Speaker 1: and altogether the Nordic countries won the majority of the 50 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 1: medals awarded. The Winter Sports Week was deemed a success. 51 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 1: Pierre Baron de Couberton, founder of the IOC, praised the 52 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 1: games in a speech at the closing ceremony at its 53 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: Prague Congress. In May of nineteen, the IOC officially designated 54 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:53,920 Speaker 1: the week as the first Olympic Winter Games. It also 55 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 1: decided that the host country of the Winter Games would 56 00:03:56,960 --> 00:03:59,560 Speaker 1: be the same as that of the corresponding Summer Games 57 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:04,119 Speaker 1: whenever possible. The success of the first Winter Olympics affected 58 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:07,840 Speaker 1: the popularity of the Nordic Games. The last games occurred 59 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 1: in nineteen Victor balk a leading figure in the creation 60 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:15,880 Speaker 1: of the games, died in nineteen which also affected support 61 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 1: for them. The nineteen thirty Nordic Games were canceled due 62 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:22,800 Speaker 1: to weather. Then World War Two came. The Nordic Games 63 00:04:22,839 --> 00:04:28,680 Speaker 1: never returned. After nine After Night, the Olympic Winter Games 64 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:31,599 Speaker 1: were held every four years, the same year as the 65 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:35,600 Speaker 1: Summer Games. By the nineteen nineties, the Winter and Summer 66 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:40,440 Speaker 1: Games were held separately in alternating four year cycles. I'm 67 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 1: Eve Jeff Cote and hopefully you know a little more 68 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:46,280 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. You can keep 69 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 1: up with us on social media on Twitter, Facebook, and 70 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:54,599 Speaker 1: Instagram at t D I h C Podcast and if 71 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:56,800 Speaker 1: you would like to write me a letter, you can 72 00:04:56,920 --> 00:04:59,680 Speaker 1: scan it, turn it into a PDF, and send it 73 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:03,120 Speaker 1: to a via email at this Day at i heeartmedia 74 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:07,479 Speaker 1: dot com. Thanks again for listening, and we'll see you tomorrow. 75 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:23,120 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I Heeart Radio, visit the iHeart radio, app, 76 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:25,719 Speaker 1: Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.