The 11th Olympic Games were held in Berlin, Germany, from August 1 to August 16, 1936. 3,963 athletes (331 women, 3,632 men), from 49 nations, participated in a total of 129 events.

German chancellor Adolf Hitler intended the games to be a showcase for the superiority of the German race, but was humbled by the performances of athletes from other nations, especially an African-American by the name of Jesse Owens, who became the first athlete in Olympic history to win four gold medals in one Olympiad -- in the long jump, 100- and 200-meter sprint, and 400-meter relay. He also set two Olympic records and one world record.

Highlights

1936 saw the introduction of the torch relay, in which a lighted torch is carried from Olympia, Greece, to the site of the current games.

The 1936 Olympics were the first to be broadcast on a form of television. Twenty-five large screens were set up throughout Berlin, allowing the local people to see the Games for free.

Basketball, canoeing, and team handball made their first appearances in the Olympics, while polo made its last appearance.

Marjorie Gestring of the United States won the gold medal in springboard diving. All of thirteen years old at the time, she remains the youngest female gold medalist in the history of the Summer Olympics. Inge Sorensen of Denmark earned a bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke at the age of 12, making her the youngest medalist ever in an individual event.

Hungarian water polo player Olivier Halassy won his third medal despite the fact that one of his legs had been amputated below the knee following a streetcar accident.

Rower Jack Beresford of Great Britain set a record by winning his fifth Olympic medal in five Olympic appearances -- gold in the double sculls, 1936; gold in the coxless fours, 1932; silver in the eight-man sculls, 1928; gold in the single sculls, 1924; and, silver in the single sculls, 1920.

In addition to medals, winning athletes received a winner's crown and an oak tree in a pot.

Berlin, Germany
Jesse Owens

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