When it come to the Olympics , our good friendJustin Feinsteinis a wealthiness ofinformation . He has harmonize to portion out his seven favorite stories with us today .
7 Stories You Haven’t Heard About The Olympics
by Justin Feinstein
1. Perfect 10s All Around!
mark a perfect 10 is the pipe dream of every Olympian gymnast . In 1924 , 22 manlike gymnasts made this dream a realityin the same event . But this was n’t due to some freak occurrence or heightened level of competition " “ the case was rope climbing , which has since been discontinued .
2. Basketball Gets Dragged Through the Mud
hoops ’s launching at the 1936 Olympics was nothing myopic of a disaster . Not only were the final exam a broken marking social function ( the United States snagged gold from Canada in a yawn - inducing 19 - 8 secret plan ) , but the conditions were a mess . Part of the job was Germany ’s venue : the plot was play out of doors . On a poop court of justice . In the pouring rainwater ! Playing on mud made dribbling and bounce - passes impossible . thing were n’t much comfortable for the fans . A deficiency of seating force all ( approximately 1,000 ) spectators to stand and watch in the rainwater .
3. Paris takes Games to a New Low
As bad as Germany ’s basketball provision was , the event barely holds a candle to the 1900 Paris Olympics , which were held in connective with the World ’s Fair and spread out out over five months . Take the marathon , for instance , which was rife with logistical incubus . The effect was scarper through the city ’s active streets , staring with pedestrians and bicyclists . Worse still , several competitors got lost because the course was so badly grade . Of course , the long race was just one of the many memorable events , include several that would never be seen again . The 1900 Olympics were the only Games to feature such time - wasters as pigeon burgeon forth and swimming through an obstruction course " “ which let in swimming under boats .
4. John Boland wins an Audience Participation Award
The first advanced Olympic Games were held in 1896 and yield perhaps the most improbable wiz in Olympic history . A pupil at Oxford , John Boland traveled to Greece as a spectator to take in the excitement . But a acquaintance on the Olympic Committee had signed him up for the lawn tennis competition . Despite a lack of right garb , the plucky Boland decide to go in advance and play ( in his dress shoes , no less ) and in reality win .
5. Golfer Brings Home Gold (without ever knowing it?!)
Margaret Ives Abbott was the first American woman to deliver the goods a gold medal . Unfortunately , she live her entire life without ever knowing what she had accomplished . Since the aforementioned 1900 Paris events were spread out conversationally over several month , de - emphasizing their Olympic condition , she simply thought she had won a nine - hole golf game tournament in Paris .
6. The Only Case where “Slow and Steady" Actually Worked
The 1904 Olympic Marathon in St. Louis was perhaps the most barbarous event in Olympian history . On a sweltering hot summertime day , endurance contest runner accept off on an unpaved moth-eaten track , following pace cars and breathe in exhaust system . Many blue runner had to withdraw to get aesculapian tending , and even the winner , American Thomas Hicks , needed repeated medical upkeep both during and after the race . And by " aesculapian care,“ we mean strychnine and brandy . Of naturally , our favorite tarradiddle from the Games is that of Felix Carvajal , a Cuban who took " The Tortoise" plan of attack to running the race . Despite cease to visit with spectators and violate to pick and eat fruit from an orchard ( which made him sick ) , Carvajal still managed to finish in fourth place .
7. And just a word on the Games' (harsh) origins
The ancient Olympic Games wait on as the basis for our modern Olympics , and fortunately the whole " vie in the nude" matter was n’t the only custom leave to history . Athletes that come late to compete were fined , with the only acceptable excuses being shipwreck , conditions or pirates . athlete that were caught cheating were also fined , but were allowed to keep their winnings . But married women caught see the Games got it the worst : they were action . Of of course , that probably had something to do with the whole competing in the nude affair .
And countenance ’s not blank out three of our favourite Olympian athletes . Swede Oscar Swahn won a silvery medal in a cervid - shooting event at the 1920 Olympics at the long time of72 ! In 1904 , American gymnast George Eyser come through six laurel wreath ( three Au ) despite having a wooden left leg , which is even more amazing . But Hungarian pistol shooter Karoly Takacs taught himself how to sprout left - handed after his right ( shot ) hand was shattered by a grenade , and then went on to win the speedy - ardor shooting issue at the 1948 Olympics . He gets our Au .
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Justin Feinstein is an occasional contributor to mentalfloss.com . Besides the Olympics , he also know a lot about eldritch medical precondition , New York restaurants and keeping infant entertained . You should translate his blog : cautiously affirmative .
