Today in History

August 09, 1936
Runaway Success
American athlete Jesse Owens wins his fourth Olympic gold medal in a single Olympics after running the first leg of the 400-meter relay in a world record-breaking 39.8 seconds. His other medal-winning performances break Olympic records and explode the ideas of racial superiority promulgated by Nazi Germany, host of the 1936 games. Pioneering but controversial filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl documents Owens' triumphs in her 1938 film Olympia.



Today's Feature History Article

Olympic Stadium

No Bob Costas? Why the Ancient Olympics Were No Fun to Watch

Spectators braved all manner of discomfort—from oppressive heat to incessant badgering by vendors—to witness ancient Greece's ultimate pagan festival




 



Advertisement