The 1896 Summer Olympics, held in Athens, were the first modern Olympic Games. They were organised by the International Olympic Committee, established two years earlier on the initiative of the French educator Pierre de Coubertin, who was inspired by the ancient Olympics. Athletes from about a dozen countries took part in events including athletics, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, shooting, swimming, tennis and weightlifting, and only men competed. The main venue was the restored Panathenaic Stadium, and the marathon, created for the Games to recall the ancient Greek legend, was won by the Greek runner Spyridon Louis, which delighted the home crowd.
Before and after
- from 1896 to 1898Philippine Revolution
- 1896Svante Arrhenius calculates how carbon dioxide warms the planet
- from 11 February 1896 to 20 February 1897Gojong's internal exile to the Russian legation
- 1 March 1896Battle of Adwa
- from 6 April 1896 to 15 April 18961896 Summer Olympics
- from 6 April 1896 to 15 April 1896The first modern Olympic Games open in Athens
- 16 July 1896Birth of Trygve Lie
- 9 August 1896Birth of Jean Piaget
- 27 August 1896Anglo-Zanzibar War
More in Art, literature & culture
- from 18th century to 19th centuryRomanticism
- 1830Publication of Book of Mormon
- 1890Rise of Art Nouveau
- c. 1900sRise of Expressionism
- 1909Rise of Futurism
- c. 1910sRise of Dada
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.