1896 |
Athens, Greece hosts the first modern Olympic games. |
1900 |
Paris, France hosts the Olympic games in conjunction with the World's Fair, the 1900 Paris Exposition. Women were allowed to participate for the first time; however, they were excluded from sports like track and field. |
1904 |
St. Louis, Missouri, hosts the Olympics in conjunction with the World's Fair, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, causing the games to last several months. |
1906 |
Smaller games are hosted in Athens, Greece. Although called the “Olympics” at the time, there is debate over whether to recognize the games as such. |
1908 |
London, Great Britain hosts the Olympics. |
1912 |
Stockholm, Sweden hosts the Olympics. |
1916 |
Olympic games were to be held in Berlin, Germany, but are cancelled due to World War I. |
1920 |
Antwerp, Belgium hosts the Olympic games despite recovering from destruction from World War I. |
Winter 1924 |
"International Winter Sports Week" was organized by the French Olympic Committee and held in Chamonix, France. Due to its success leading to a continuation of this event, this winter event would be retroactively designated as the first Winter Olympics. |
Summer 1924 |
Paris, France hosts the Olympics for the second time. This marks the first time the Winter and Summer Olympic games were held at the same year. |
1928 |
Amsterdam, Netherlands hosts the Olympics. For the first time, women are allowed to participate in athletics (track and field) and gymnastics. |
Winter 1932 |
Lake Placid, New York hosts the Winter Olympics. |
Summer 1932 |
Los Angeles, California hosts the Summer Olympics during the Great Depression. |
1936 |
The Summer Olympics are held in Berlin, Germany under Nazi rule. African American athlete Jesse Owens wins four gold medals, becoming a national sports icon. |
1940-1944 |
Due to the onset of World War II, the Olympics are cancelled. |
1948 |
St. Moritz, Switzerland and London, England host the first post-war Olympic Games. |
1952 |
Helsinki, Finland hosts the Summer Olympics. The games are fraught with political tension due to the Cold War. |
1956 |
Melbourne, Australia hosts the first Olympics in the Southern Hemisphere, causing the Summer Games to be held in November and December. Many countries boycott the Games for political reasons. |
1960 |
Olympic Valley, California hosts the Winter Olympics. |