Jesse Owens died #OnThisDay in 1980.
For Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games were expected to be a German showcase and a statement for Aryan supremacy.
After Owens won the 100-meter event, a furious Hitler stormed out of the stadium.
For Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games were expected to be a German showcase and a statement for Aryan supremacy.
After Owens won the 100-meter event, a furious Hitler stormed out of the stadium.
Jesse Owens captured four gold medals (the 100 meter, the long jump, the 200 meter and the 400-meter relay) and broke two Olympic records.
Owens’ world record for the broad jump would last 25 years until being broken by Olympian Irvin Roberson in 1960.
Owens’ world record for the broad jump would last 25 years until being broken by Olympian Irvin Roberson in 1960.
Further reading biography.com/athlete/jesse-…
Another version of the story says that Hitler did not congratulate any gold medalists after the first day of competition:
britannica.com/story/was-jess…
britannica.com/story/was-jess…
"When I came back to my native country, after all the stories about Hitler, I couldn't ride in the front of the bus,"
"I had to go to the back door. I wasn't invited to shake hands with Hitler, but I wasn't invited to the White House to shake hands with the president, either."
"I had to go to the back door. I wasn't invited to shake hands with Hitler, but I wasn't invited to the White House to shake hands with the president, either."
Following the 1936 Olympic Games, Owens retired and started to earn money for his physical talents. He raced against cars and horses, and, for a time, played with the Harlem Globetrotters.
He died of lung cancer in Tucson, Arizona.
He died of lung cancer in Tucson, Arizona.
