Even if you don’t care much about sports, there’s something magical about the Olympics. we put some facts about the Olympics that will blow your mind.
The first Olympic Games took place in the 8th century B.C. in Olympia, Greece. They were held every four years for 12 centuries. Then, in the 4th century A.D., all pagan festivals were banned by Emperor Theodosius I and the Olympics were no more.
However, the athletic tradition was resurrected about 1500 years later: The first modern Olympics were held in 1896 in Greece.
From 1924-1992, the Winter and the Summer Olympics took place in the same year. Now, they’re on separate cycles and alternate every two years.
The five rings of the Olympic symbol – designed by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, co-founder of the modern Olympic Games – represent the five inhabited continents of the world.
The Olympic torch is lit the old-fashioned way in an ancient ceremony at the temple of Hera, in Greece: Actresses, wearing costumes of Greek priestesses, use a parabolic mirror and sun rays to kindle the torch.
The 2012 London Games were the first Olympics in which all participating countries sent female athletes.
The six colors – blue, yellow, black, green, red, and the white background – were chosen because every nation’s flag contains at least one of them.