BOB DAVIS ART
A. Background
The Olympics were invented in Ancient Greece. Beloved in their time, forgotten for thousands of years, they were revived by the French during the Elizabethan era.
History of the Olympics
Seventeen Councillors of the Ancient Greek City of Sparta declared every four years to be the Olympic years, in honor of their god, Olympus. The god Olympus lived on Mount Olympus in Athens, thus prompting the Spartans to invite the Athenians to join in their Olympic games. This led directly to the Trojan War, starring Brad Pitt, where Troy was destroyed in retaliation for a controversial scoring decision in the boxing event during the 1292BC Olympics.
Throughout the thousands of years that the Greeks competed every four years in the Olympics, there was war only 75% of the time among the various city states, including the famous pelopponesian war (Kids: Go here for some great information about this fantastic war that changed the world!) of 845BC.
There were 16 sport competitions at each Olympics, never varying, as the Greeks never invented any more new sports after the renowned invention of the Javelin Throw.
The athletes competed in the nude, and women were forbade entry, for fear they would steal the competitors "spirit." The English had been invited to join in at one time, however, they were too shy. It was not until the Olympics of 662AD that the athletes finally agreed to wear clothes, as the local shoe company finally agreed to pay rights fees in the amount of 16 drachma per athlete.
The Modern Olympics began in 1742, not in 1882 as commonly believed. Benjamin Franklin, inventor of synchronized kiting, configured a new group of 32 sports to be played every 4 years in Pennsylvania, and he invited athletes around the world to join in, which they eventually did, beginning in 1896.
The Winter Olympics began in 1932 in Western Upstate New York as a sop to the Canadians, who have no summer sports, as they have no summer.
Size of the Olympics
The Olympic Grounds in each city since 1944 have comprised exactly 35.6 hectares for the Summer Games and 23.3 hectares for the Winter Games, per the rules incorporated into the Olympic Charter by Baron Gourdonage in 1944.
In 1996, during the Soviet Boycott, the Atlanta Games were allowed to use only 15.8 hectares of ground space
**PHOTO REMOVED**
by Jim Steinhart
Montreal, site of the Canadian Olympics of 1973, not pictured here anymore.
Olympics Timeline
4244BC: The first Olympic Games are played to a crowd of 42 goat herders and their 800 goats.
2012BC: The first revival of the Ancient Games as "New and Improved" Modern Games begins before a crowd of 200 sheep herders and their 1200 sheep.
1296BC: The first "real" Olympics, on Mount Olympus, in Greece, with 16 Greek City States competing in the nude before crowds of thousands of men, each with their own decanter of olive oil with which to "anoint" the athletes. Sheep were not permitted into the stadium.
812BC: It was a long time ago, and the Olympics were still going on.
212BC: It was 16 years since the last Athenian had won gold in the 1600 meter race.
432AD: The last Olympics ever to be held, according to the Oracle of Delphi.
1632: The Ancient Greek ruins of Mount Olympus are revealed in a dream. Saint Olyphus leads a group of archeologists who dig deep within the mountains looking for the Lost Ark before the Nazis can get there first.
1912: The British Team wins gold in 6 events for the first time.
1932: Jesse Owens wins gold in 6 events for the first time.
1968: Nixon visits the Tokyo Olympics as a campaign ploy. In return, Humphrey loses.
1974: Nixon resigns in disgrace. Tokyo shocked.
1992: Mary Lou Retton becomes "America's Sweetheart" as she wins dozens of commercial endorsements.
2004: The Olympics return to Greece to a rousing round of applause from 42 goatherds and 200 shepherds. The rest of the Greeks stay home.
Some 2004 Olympics Photos:
Photo credits: ANJA NIEDRINGHAUS / AP, SASHA ZEMLIANICHENKO / AP, REUTERS/Jerry Lampen, -
Olympics Individual Sports
There are 42 individual sports, and 12,450 athletes from 412 countries competing for 8,442 medals. The favorites are the Women's Gymnastics Balance Beam and the 42 different classes in the Sailing competition. Since the Olympics were first televised in 1824, there have been 4100 sports attempted and rejected, including horse racing along the beach, indoor mountaineering, synchronized golfing, shuffleboard, chess, rhythmic gymnastics, and pizza toss, the favorite sport of the Italians.
Olympics Team Sports
Team Sports were abolished in 1976 per the order of Premier Kruschev.
Olympics Records
Records were first kept in 1664BC, and since then the oldest record is in the rock throw, set in 640AD by Gregor Bitumen of France and not matched since.
Other renowned records include the badminton record, the 1600 meter record, the most endorsements record, and the swimming with sharks record, first set in 1988.
Olympics Facts and Figures
Some countries celebrate their winners, like in Romania where all gold-medal winners receive a gift certificate for 25% off at the Tastee Freeze; and in Japan where a bronze medal is worth a 4,200 yen bonus. Some countried prefer to penalize their losers, like in Botuwanasgwanaland, where the losers of the 10,000 meter race are made to eat everything on their plate, including the mushy peas.
NBC has televised 25% of the Olympics since being bought by GE.
Nobody has ever won the gold medal in whitewater rafting.
Sixteen minutes go by between commercials during the tennis competition.
Bob Davis has never competed in the Olympics, however as a child, he was the National Champ in Doubles Synchronized Balance Beam, missing out on the Olympics due to a fever that persists to this day.
This knowledge entry was written by BD, Z and A.
If you are using this for a school paper, please remember to credit the "Bob Davis Knowledge Base"
last updated February 19, 2007
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