Hours of research by our editors, distilled into minutes of clarity.
The 1936 Berlin Games were the first to use a torch relay to light the Olympic cauldron. In each Olympics Games afterwards, the host country designed a new set of torches. See what each torch looked like, the start and end date of the relay, the number of torches produced, what type of fuel was used, and view a map of the route.
What happens when you put thousands of young, attractive men and women in the best shape of their life from all over the world in one place for 16 days? According to this 2012 article from ESPN the Magazine, a lot of sex. This deep dive interviewed Greg Louganis, Hope Solo, Brandi Chastain, Ryan Lochte, and more who spilled the dirty secrets of what really goes on in the Olympic Village.
For nearly a millennium, the ancient Greeks gathered every four years to participate in or watch sports, from footraces to a type of mixed martial art. These events—in some cases known as the Olympics—provided the basis for the modern event, which began in 1896 in Athens.
Using archive footage from the first Winter Olympics in 1924 to present day, this video explores 100 years of Winter Olympic competition. Watch different eras of ski jumping, figure skating, and bobsledding. See how athletes use the facilities to train year-round. And learn how swimming facilities used for the Summer Games are transformed to curling ice for the Winter Games.
The Olympic Games have evolved from a sacred footrace in 776 BCE honoring Zeus to a global celebration of athletic excellence and unity. Ancient Greek city-states set aside their conflicts under a sacred truce for events like wrestling and chariot racing. Though the Games ended in 393 CE, Pierre de Coubertin revived them in 1896, adding modern elements like the torch relay and the inclusion of women. Over time, the Olympics expanded with Winter and Paralympic Games and became a worldwide phenomenon through television broadcasts. Today, they stand as a testament to resilience, unity, and the enduring Olympic spirit.
The Olympics finally permitted professional basketball players to play in 1992 Summer Games and the NBA produced one of the greatest basketball teams ever assembled: The Dream Team. Billions worldwide watched Jordan, Bird, and Magic dominate to win gold, inspiring future Hall of Famers and increasing the NBA's viewership.
In the decades since Title IX’s passage, there has been a significant rise in female participation in high school (an increase of 239%) and college athletics (an increase of over 1000%). That pattern has led to changes in the highest levels of sport, with more American women winning Olympic medals in the Title IX era.
In the early 2010s, IBM worked with hundreds of cities to implement technological solutions to urban problems. Following a series of devastating floods and mudslides in 2010 and ahead of the 2016 Olympics, the multinational company collaborated with Rio de Janeiro on a multi-million dollar revamp of its emergency response program. This video describes a proposed control center that enables a “commander” to use real-time data on weather patterns and hospital bed availability when deciding where to deploy response teams and equipment.
When you see Olympic athletes win gold, it’s the culmination of years of hard work and discipline. But it isn’t all sweat equity. Before ever stepping foot on the world stage these athletes have to pay or find funding for private coaching and lessons, club memberships, and meet fees. The video estimates it costs $25K to $40K to make it to the Olympics.
The Hellenic Museum in Australia explores each of the Panhellenic Games: the Isthmian Games, the Nemean Games, the Pythian Games, and of course the Olympic Games. Each section explores the history, what god was worshiped, and what winners received. There is a historic diagram of the site at Olympia, as well as photos of what the sites look like today.
The 1992 Olympics is often regarded as Barcelona’s grand re-introduction to the world stage. Just 17 years after emerging from Francisco Frano’s dictatorship, the coastal city held the summer games. Neighborhoods, transportation systems, and public spaces were redeveloped as sporting venues were built. These infrastructure upgrades – and its performance as a host – helped propel Barcelona to become the tourist destination it is today, according to this article, which also contains a full-length version of the opening ceremony.
Art, music, sports, entertainment, movies, and many other subjects—these elements define who we are as a society and how we express ourselves as a culture. Take a deep dive into the topics shaping our shared norms, values, institutions, and more.