The 1896 Summer Olympics were the first international Olympic Games held in modern history. The International Olympic Committee was established in 1894 by a congress organized by Pierre de Coubertin in Paris. The committee appointed the Greek capital Athens as the host city, and the games took place from 6 to 15 April 1896. According to the committee, 14 nations took part, and 241 male athletes competed. The participants were all European, or living in Europe, with the exception of the United States team. More than 65 per cent of the competing athletes were Greek, and Greece won the most medals overall, 47. The athletic highlight for the Greeks was the marathon victory by their compatriot Spyridon Louis. The most successful competitor was the German wrestler and gymnast Carl Schuhmann, with four victories. The 1896 Olympics were regarded as a great success, with the largest international participation of any sporting event to that date. (Full article...)
... that agronomist Oliver Golden remained in the Soviet Union after his delegation of cotton experts returned to the United States?
... that the Guinness World Record holder for the world's largest menorah, in Manhattan's Grand Army Plaza, is smaller than a menorah in Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza?
... that Olympic swimmer Camil Doua represents a country in which "the only existing swimming pools are those in hotels"?
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