The Tokyo Summer Olympic Games will continue the long tradition of sporting competition on a worldwide scale and will likely add a number of incredible moments historians will recall for years to come.

If you need to brush up on your Olympic history, scroll through the gallery below to learn ten random facts about the history of the Summer Olympic Games!

• Ancient vs. Modern

  Share

  The Olympic Games history consists of the "Ancient Era" and the "Modern Era." The "Ancient Era" dates all the way back to 776 BC, while the "Modern Era" is recognized as beginning in 1896 in Athens, Greece.

• Medals Make Their Debut

  Share

  The Gold, Silver and Bronze medal prizes awarded to Olympic athletes were first given out during the 1904 Olympics.

• Gold Medals…Literally

  Share

  Beginning in 1904 and lasting through the 1912 games, Olympic medals gold medals were actually made entirely of gold.
• The New Medals are a Unique Metal

  Share

  The 5,000 medals made for the current Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo were made from a variety of recycled electronic devices. Among them are 6.21 million mobile phones.

• Figure Skating? In the Summer?!

  Share

  The Winter Olympic Games began in 1924. Before then, Figure Skating was actually a Summer Games event in 1908 and 1920.

• Historic Representation…

  Share

  Only five countries have the distinction of having been represented in every single Summer Olympic Games: Greece, Australia, France, Great Britain and Switzerland.
• Especially From the U.K.

  Share

  Of those five countries to be represented in every single Summer Olympic Games, Great Britain is the only country to have won at least one gold medal in every single games.

• Historic Cancelation

  Share

  The coronavirus pandemic almost derailed the 2020 Summer Olympic Games entirely, but it wouldn't be the first time a global event prevented the games from taking place. World Wars I and II were the reasons for no games being held in 1916, 1940 and 1944.

• Who Started the Fire?

  Share

  The Olympic torch relay is one of the big preliminary events that lead up to the Summer and Winter Olympic games, but where does the fire start? That would be in Olympia, Greece, the site of the Ancient Olympic Games.
• U.S. Host Nation

  Share

  The United States has hosted the Summer Olympics four times: St. Louis in 1904; Los Angeles in 1932 and 1984; and Atlanta in 1996. Los Angeles will host the Summer Games a third time in 2028.

Sign me up for the Praise Network email newsletter!

Stay connected to all things Detroit Praise Network and join the Detroit Praise Club! As a Detroit Praise Club member, you get a VIP chance to win prizes, concert tickets, and receive updates on the latest happenings in Detroit.

First Name *

Last Name

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.