Tag: Athens 1896
-
What did Olympic Swimming Look Like in 1896? | The Swim Scribe
When you think of swimming at the Olympics your mind might jump back to some of the last couple of Olympic Games, like the 2024 Olympics in Paris where we watched Leon Marchand shine in front of a home crowd, or the delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021 where we watched athletes triumph after a longer…
-
Olympic History – Hajos Turns Tragedy Into Glory in the Water
Hungarian architecture student Alfréd Hajos was the undisputed star of the swimming events at the 1896 Games. Born Alfréd Guttman and raised in Budapest, his prowess in the water had its roots in tragedy. He determined to become a good swimmer at the age of 13 after his father drowned in the River Danube. He…
-
The Surprisingly Fascinating First Trip to “The Games”
The 1890s were a gilded age of sports in America. Backed by the country’s moral and intellectual elite in the form of ministers and urban reformers, institutions like the YMCA were popularized, enforcing the rather novel idea of healthful recreation via organized sports.