If you don’t know your Olympics, you’re missing out.
1. The first Olympic Games took place in the 8th century B.C. in Olympia, Greece, where they had to participate naked. These were all men. They also argued that being naked was tough on the fencers. Many bronze medal winners remained for years with weapons stuck into their ribs, where many proudly hung their medals.
2. Olympiads were held every four years for 12 centuries. Then, in the 4th century A.D., all naked pagan festivals were banned for being blasphemous. They were gone, replaced by gladiator battles in proper clothes and cups.
3. But with a fierce hunger for physical competitions, the athletic tradition was resurrected 1,500 years later, when a lot of novice Olympians asked, “What’s a shot put again?”
4. The first modern Olympics were held in 1896 back in Greece, and a new biathlon was invented —chess tournaments would stop so that the chess masters could engage in pole-vaulting over the chess board. It was the best they could do for chess’ poor turnout.
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