ASK MR. KNOW-IT-ALL
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A: American James Connolly became the first Olympic champion in the modern Olympics on April 6, 1896, when he won the triple jump, which was then called the hop, skip and jump. Connolly went on to take second place in the high jump and third place in the long jump.
Q: As a marathon runner, I’m curious about who won the first marathon in the modern Olympics? — I.M., via e-mail
A: A 23-year-old Greek shepherd by the name of Spiridon Louis. The course was supposedly the same one covered by Greek hero Pheidippides after the battle of Marathon in 490 B.C.
Q: How many athletes competed in the 1896 Olympic Games? How many nations? — W.A., Lightfoot, Va.
A: The 1896 games attracted more than 240 athletes from 14 nations.
Q: Who was the first woman champion in the modern Olympics? — R.W.W., Yakima, Wash.
A: Charlotte Cooper of Great Britain was the first female Olympic champion; she won her medal in singles tennis in the 1900 games held in Paris, France — the first Olympics in which women were invited.
Q: When was the Olympic flag created? — T.Z., via e-mail
A: Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937) created the flag in 1914. The flag has five interconnected rings to symbolize the significant competing continents on a white background. Each ring is a different color (blue, yellow, black, green and red). These colors were selected because at least one of them appears on the flag of every country in the world. The Olympic flag was first flown during the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium.
Q: In 1908, the Olympic Games were held in London. A list I came across said those games were awarded to Rome. Why the change? — H.B., Fremont, Neb.
A: You are right — the games were to be held in Rome. However, in 1906, Mt. Vesuvius erupted and the Italian government needed money to rebuild after the destruction and asked that the games be held elsewhere. London put in a bid and in just two years was able to put together the best-organized Olympic Games up to that time.
Q: There were no Olympic Games held in 1916, I assume because of World War I. Where were they to be held? — J.H., Walker, La.
A: Believe it or not, in Berlin, Germany.
Q: How long have electronic timing devices been used at the Olympics? — B.T., Lebanon, Pa.
A: Timing devices and a public address system were first used in the 1912 Olympics held in Stockholm, Sweden.
Q: An American woman supposedly won first place in an Olympic event in the early days of the games, but never knew she won. How can this be? Is this a bogus story? — O.P., Fort Smith, Ark.
A: Hard as it is to believe, it’s a true story.
Women were able to compete for the first time in the 1900 games held in Paris, but only in three sports: golf, croquet and tennis. During this time, American Margaret I. Abbott (1878-1955) was in Paris studying art. On a lark, she entered a 9-hole golf tournament, not realizing that it was an Olympic event. This was not too unusual, as the Paris games were poorly organized and were overshadowed by the Paris Exposition of the same year. Abbott shot a 47, won the tournament, and then went back to her art studies, not knowing that she was the first American woman to win an Olympic contest. Researchers only recently discovered her place in Olympic history.
Q: The 2008 Olympic Games are going to be held in Beijing, China. Has a site for the 2012 games been selected? — F.A., Mt. Vernon, Ill.
A: No, not yet. The five contenders are London, Madrid, Moscow, New York City and Paris. Havana, Istanbul, Leipzig and Rio de Janeiro were cut from the list in May. The winner will be selected in July 2005; those in the know say Paris is the favorite to win.