The Games of the XXIX Olympiad opened in Beijing, China, on August 8, 2008. The games had the largest TV audience for an event up to that time, the longest torch relay, and the most participants for a Summer Olympics.
Born on September 12, 1913, Jesse Owens broke several track and field records and won four Olympic gold medals. He was ranked as the greatest athlete in the history of his sport.
On July 19, 1980, the Summer Olympic Games opened in Moscow, Soviet Union. They were the first Olympics to be held in Eastern Europe. The US was among 65 countries that boycotted the games, and the numerous stamps issued to commemorate the games were removed from sale until after the Olympics were finished.
On July 17, 1976, Queen Elizabeth II presided over the opening ceremonies of the Games of the XXI Olympiad in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. These were the first and only Summer Olympics held in Canada.
Olympic swimmer Helene Emma Madison was born on June 19, 1913, in Madison, Wisconsin. “Queen Helene” won three gold medals at the 1932 Summer Olympics and broke multiple world records.
Jim Thorpe said he was born on May 28, 1888, in Indian Territory. A world renowned athlete, he helped popularize football in the United States and was the first athlete to win both the decathlon and the pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics.
Edward Patrick Francis Eagan was born on April 26, 1897, in Denver, Colorado. He’s the only person in Olympic history to win gold medals in both Summer and Winter sports.
On March 11, 1980, the USPS removed all the stamps it had issued for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Moscow from sale as part of an American boycott of the games. According the USPS, this was the first time they removed stamps from sale for political reasons since the Civil War.
On January 25, 1932, the US Post Office Department issued its first stamp honoring the Olympic Games. Those games were the first to be held in the US.