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The ancient Olympic Games took place in Greece every four years for nearly 12 centuries from 776 BC through 393 AD. They were part of a religious festival to honor Zeus, who was the father of Greek gods and goddesses. The event was held in Olympia, a sanctuary site named for Mount Olympus, which is the country’s tallest mountain and the mythological home of the Greek gods. It is the place for which the Olympics are named. Roughly 1,500 years after the ancient Games ended, a Frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin wanted to resurrect the Olympic Games to coincide with the 1900 World Fair in Paris. The 1900 Paris Exposition was to feature the newest, modern-day, turn-of-the-century attractions like talking films, the diesel engine, escalators, magnet audio recorders, and a fairly new Eiffel Tower painted yellow. De Coubertin wanted the best athletes in the world for the first modern Olympic Games outside of Greece, so he presented the idea in 1894. Representatives from 34 potential countries got so excited about his plan that they proposed the Games take place in 1896 instead. So, the modern Olympics, as it is now called, began where the ancient Games left off—in Athens, Greece, in 1896. The 10-day event in April 1896 had 241 male athletes from 14 countries competing in 43 events. The events at these Athens Games were athletics (track and field), swimming, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, shooting, tennis, weightlifting, and wrestling. The ancient Games had consisted of short races, days-long boxing matches, and chariot races. Like the ancient Games, organizers held the event every four years, with Paris hosting in 1900, when women made their first appearance. The Paris Games had many more competitors, as 997 athletes represented 24 countries in 95 total events. These Games were

The Summer Olympics: Athletes to Watch

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