Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics

Find out how the great Jesse Owens put the Nazis in their place at the 1936 Olympics.

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Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics

The Berlin Olympics of 1936 were to be the crowning showcase of the National Socialist Government in Germany. They would prove on an international stage that Aryan supremacy was a living reality. The Nazi establishment carefully choreographed the Olympics to support their ideology. There was one thing, however, that they didn't count on - a black man by the name of James Cleveland Owens.

On the first day of the competition, August 2nd, German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler presided in his box seat as competition got under way. When the shot put was completed Hitler publicly congratulated the Finnish athletes who had taken a clean sweep with the gold, silver and bronze medals. He also congratulated the German women who had won gold and silver in the javelin. By the time it came to award the medals for the men's high jump, however, Hitler had left the stadium. Americans won all three medals in the high jump. Gold medal winner Cornelius Johnson and Silver medal winner Dave Albittron were both black.

Jesse Owens was a superstar by the time of the Berlin Olympics. At the Big Ten meet in Ann Arbor the previous year he had set three world records and tied with a fourth. He did all of this in the space of forty five minutes. On that day, in fact, he broke the world long jump record by six inches.

Owens was primed for greatness on the day of his track and field finals. In the final of the 100 meter dash he stopped the clock at 10.3 seconds. Coming in just 0.1 of a second behind him was his great rival Ralph Metcalfe. In the 200 meter final, Owens cruised to victory. In the cold and rain he ran the distance in 20.7 seconds, just 0.1 of a second off the world record.

When it came to the long jump, Owens made a practice jump in his sweat suit. What he didn't know was that this was, in fact, his first official jump. This left him annoyed and he fouled on his next jump. On his third jump he qualified for the final. Owens' only serious competition in the final came from German Luz Long. By the fifth round the two men were tied at exactly twenty five feet, ten and a half inches. This was a new Olympic Record. On his final jump Owens ended up at twenty six feet, five and a half inches to grab the gold. The German took the silver medal. The two athletes, one black and one white, then embraced, strolling around the stadium arm in arm. This was definitely not the picture that the Nazis had envisioned.

Owens' fourth Gold came in the 400 meter relay, an event that he wasn't even entered for until the last moment. For reasons unknown, the two American Jews on the United States team were dropped with Owens and Sam Stoller taking their place. This new U.S. team won the gold easily.

Jesse Owens had done the impossible - he had won four gold medals in one day. All eyes now turned to Hitler. Would he congratulate this Afro-American superstar? Obviously, the thought of doing so was too humiliating for the Fuerhur, for after Owen's second win he stormed out of the Stadium.

But the 1936 Olympics still belonged to Jesse Owens. On his return to the United States he was given a ticker tape parade. The Americans were rightly proud of their humble athlete who had shown up the pride of Nazi Aryan arrogance.

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