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Cover of the 1896 Summer Olympics official report

The 1896 Summer Olympics were the first international Olympic Games held in modern history. The International Olympic Committee was established in 1894 by a congress organized by Pierre de Coubertin in Paris. The committee appointed the Greek capital Athens as the host city, and the games took place from 6 to 15 April 1896. According to the committee, 14 nations took part, and 241 male athletes competed. The participants were all European, or living in Europe, with the exception of the United States team. More than 65 per cent of the competing athletes were Greek, and Greece won the most medals overall, 47. The athletic highlight for the Greeks was the marathon victory by their compatriot Spyridon Louis. The most successful competitor was the German wrestler and gymnast Carl Schuhmann, with four victories. The 1896 Olympics were regarded as a great success, with the largest international participation of any sporting event to that date. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Kubrick stare

... that a Kubrick stare (example pictured) can be "invasive" and "troubling"?
... that Chloë Farro, María Sara Grippoli, Edda Hannesdóttir, Viren Nettasinghe, Oyuntsetsegiin Yesügen, and Lê Đức Phát are flagbearers at today's Olympic opening ceremony?
... that silver dimes kept a Tennessee TV station on the air?
... that agronomist Oliver Golden remained in the Soviet Union after his delegation of cotton experts returned to the United States?
... that the Guinness World Record holder for the world's largest menorah, in Manhattan's Grand Army Plaza, is smaller than a menorah in Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza?
... that Olympic swimmer Camil Doua represents a country in which "the only existing swimming pools are those in hotels"?
... that there is a rare circumstance in which Jewish soldiers are allowed to abandon kosher dietary laws?
... that physiotherapist Alison McGregor was one of the Olympic flame torchbearers from Imperial College London in the build-up to the London Olympic Games in 2012?
... that NATO was once targeted by a group of "gay furry hackers"?

In the news

Tadej Pogačar

In cycling, Tadej Pogačar (pictured) wins the Tour de France.
Incumbent U.S. president Joe Biden withdraws from the 2024 presidential election.
In golf, Xander Schauffele wins the Open Championship.
General secretary and former president of Vietnam Nguyễn Phú Trọng dies at the age of 80.

On this day

July 26: Independence Day in the Maldives (1965), Kargil Vijay Diwas in India

L. L. Zamenhof

1759 – French and Indian War: Troops led by French brigadier general François-Charles de Bourlamaque attempted to blow up Fort Carillon, near present-day Ticonderoga, New York, rather than defending it against approaching British forces.
1887 – L. L. Zamenhof (pictured) published Unua Libro, the first publication to describe Esperanto, a constructed international language.
1936 – The Canadian National Vimy Memorial, dedicated to Canadian Expeditionary Force members killed in the First World War, was unveiled in Pas-de-Calais, France.
1953 – The Battle of the Samichon River, the last engagement of the Korean War, ended a few hours before the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement.
2007 – After widespread controversy throughout Wales, Shambo, a black Friesian bull that had been adopted by the local Hindu community, was slaughtered due to concerns about bovine tuberculosis.

Winsor McCay (d. 1934)
Betty Davis (b. 1944)
Liz Truss (b. 1975)
Ed Gein (d. 1984)

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From today's featured list

Map of Connecticut's five congressional districts since 2022

Connecticut has sent congressional delegations to the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives since it became a U.S. state in 1788, beginning with the 1st United States Congress in 1789. Each state elects two senators to serve for six years in general elections, with their re-election staggered. Each state elects varying numbers of members of the House, depending on population, to two-year terms. Connecticut has sent five members to the House in each congressional delegation since the 2000 United States census (map of districts pictured). As of 2024, 292 individuals have represented Connecticut in Congress: 57 senators and 259 representatives, including 24 who have served in both the House and the Senate. Nine women have represented Connecticut in the House, the first being Clare Boothe Luce, while none have served in the Senate. Two African Americans from Connecticut, Gary Franks and Jahana Hayes, have served in the House. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

Apollo 15 (July 26 – August 7, 1971) was the fourth crewed mission to land on the Moon. It was the first of three J missions, with a longer stay on the Moon, a greater focus on science, and the use of the first Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). David Scott and James Irwin landed near Hadley Rille and spent 18 and a half hours on extravehicular activity (EVA), collecting 170 pounds (77 kg) of surface material. During the return trip, Alfred Worden performed the first spacewalk in deep space. The mission included the collection of the Genesis Rock, thought to be part of the Moon's early crust, and Scott used a hammer and a feather to demonstrate Galileo's theory that, absent air resistance, objects fall at the same rate regardless of mass. The mission was later marred when it was found that the crew had carried unauthorized postal covers to the lunar surface, some of which were sold by a West German stamp dealer. The crew was reprimanded for poor judgment, and none flew in space again. This photograph, taken by Scott during an EVA on August 2, shows Irwin giving a military salute beside the U.S. flag. The Lunar Module Falcon is in the center, with the LRV on the right.

Photograph credit: David Scott; restored by Bammesk and Basile Morin

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