Every four years, the best athletes of the world come together to compete in the Olympics. The location changes each time and gives us an inside look at the country and its culture. Over 100 years ago, St. Louis hosted the Olympics and brought attention to our little corner of America. It wasn’t the most successful Olympics in the U.S., but the bizarre stories make it quite memorable and create some incredible Olympic trivia. Here are the weirdest things that happened during the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis.

1. St. Louis wasn't the first choice. Or the second. Or the third.
Wikipedia Creative Commons
Originally, Chicago had won the bid to host the 1904 Olympics after they beat out Philadelphia and New York. However, during that same summer, St. Louis was already chosen to host the World's Fair. To draw in more guests, organizers partnered with the Amateur Athletic Union to host the 1904 track and field championships. With the possibility of conflicting athletic competitions, the IOC had no choice but to award St. Louis with the 1904 Olympic bid.
2. Only 12 countries participated.
Wikipedia Commons
It was almost as if the 1904 Olympic Ceremony was the party that no one wanted to attend. This year would mark the first Olympics held outside of Europe and many countries did not have the means to travel to St. Louis. It resulted in only 12 countries competing and with the U.S. accounting for 523 of the 630 athletes. To nobody's surprise, we demolished the competition by winning 239 medals. Germany came in second with a measly count of 13 total medals.
3. The competition featured a sideshow called, "Anthropology Days."
Wikipedia/Public Domain
In addition to the standard Olympic games, indigenous men were pitted against each other in a series of games. Many of them were not trained in each specific sport, so the end result was a disaster.

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4. Tug-of-war was an actual event in the track category.
Wikipedia public domain
While tug-of-war is a popular elementary school game, it's not a sport that people compete in professionally today. However, in 1904 it was one of the scored events at the Olympics in Missouri. Pretty cool piece of Olympic trivia, right?
5. The marathon during the Olympics in St. Louis was a catastrophe.
Wikipedia public domain
To say the conditions weren't ideal would be an understatement. The course was set on hilly, dusty roads and in 90-degree heat. Out of 32 competitors, only 14 completed it. One of them, Fred Lorz, rode in a truck during the last portion of the course and was almost named the winner after he hopped out to run through the finish line. Thomas Hicks finished first, but his performance was considered illegal due to doping. During the race, his trainers supplied him with strychnine sulfate (a common rat poison, which stimulates the nervous system) mixed with brandy.
6. Women were only allowed to compete in one sport.
Scazon/flickr
During the 1904 Olympics in the U.S., women were only allowed to score in archery. However, they did compete in the Olympic boxing card, but their performance was only viewed as a show.
7. The Olympics in St. Louis lasted 4 and a half months.
Wikipedia Public Domain
Talk about a never-ending game. The 1904 Olympic Games spanned for almost 5 months.

As bizarre and disastrous this experience was, I have a feeling viewership would have gone up had it been televised today.

Did you know about Missouri’s role in Olympics history? Hopefully, we’re trusted with hosting another event in the future.

If you want to visit an Olympic venue, here are 10 in Georgia you can check out for a fascinating getaway.

 

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Olympics in St. Louis

Courtnie Erickson | July 27, 2021

Fun Olympic Trivia you should know

The Olympics are a highly-anticipated event with an interesting history. There are many cool facts about both the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics that will help you win any trivia night.

For example, did you know that Athens, Greece was the host of the first modern-day Olympics? Originally, the Olympics only took place during the summer months. In fact, the Olympics in Missouri started in July of 1904. The Winter Olympics didn’t begin until 1924.

Do you know how many different countries have hosted the Olympics since 1896? The answer is 19. The United States has hosted the Summer Olympics four times with the first being the Olympics in St. Louis in 1904.

If you want to learn additional Olympic trivia and to see what life is like as an Olympic athlete, plan a visit to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado.

What are some fun facts about Olympic Games In Missouri?

The Olympics in St. Louis were quite an interesting and historical event. This was the first time the United States hosted the Olympics and this worldwide event lasted for approximately four months. The Olympics in the U.S. in 1904 ran from July 1 to November 23. There were 94 events that took place during the Olympics in St. Louis.

The first time a gold medal was awarded to the winner of a particular event was during the Olympics in St. Louis. During the Olympics in the 1800s, gold was too expensive. This meant that the winner received a silver medal, second place received a bronze medal, and third place received nothing. Today, winners still do not receive pure gold medals. In fact, the gold medals that Olympic athletes receive are 93 percent silver, 6 percent copper, and 6 grams of gold. The last time a pure gold medal was awarded was in 1912.

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