Jesse Owens 1913-80
BBC History Magazine|May 2022
He was a bit of a showman and even raced against horses for money. When asked why, he said: You can't eat four gold medals'
Jesse Owens 1913-80

IN PROFILE

Jesse Owens was a black American sprinter who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin - a feat that shattered Adolf Hitler's plans to use the games as a showcase for Aryan supremacy. President Roosevelt never publicly acknowledged Owens' triumph. However, in 1976 Gerald Ford awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of what is among the most iconic sporting achievements of the 20th century.

When did you first hear about Owens? It was at school while studying for my history O-level. I remember being fascinated by the story of this incredible black athlete who, by winning four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, put a huge dent in Hitler's myth of an Aryan “master race”.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2022-Ausgabe von BBC History Magazine.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2022-Ausgabe von BBC History Magazine.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS BBC HISTORY MAGAZINEAlle anzeigen
"It had been a tiny triumph, but it had been a British triumph"
BBC History UK

"It had been a tiny triumph, but it had been a British triumph"

MAX HASTINGS talks to Rob Attar about a daring airborne raid that provided a much-needed boost to Britain's morale in the darkest days of the Second World War

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
July 2024
Dancing with the Devil
BBC History UK

Dancing with the Devil

ROGER MOORHOUSE is impressed by a book that traces the fortunes of the diplomats charged with managing the west's wartime alliance with Josef Stalin

time-read
4 Minuten  |
July 2024
Victorian cucumber ice cream
BBC History UK

Victorian cucumber ice cream

ELEANOR BARNETT samples the delights of an unusual and refreshing version of one of the world's favourite summer treats

time-read
2 Minuten  |
July 2024
Anne Boleyn, ‘princess' of France
BBC History UK

Anne Boleyn, ‘princess' of France

JOANNE PAUL is impressed by an account of how the Tudor queen's continental connections shaped her meteoric rise and dramatic fall

time-read
4 Minuten  |
July 2024
FIVE THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT...Roman Britain
BBC History UK

FIVE THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT...Roman Britain

Rob Collins, who is teaching our new HistoryExtra Academy course, shares five surprising facts about life in Britain during the Roman occupation

time-read
4 Minuten  |
July 2024
War and pieces
BBC History UK

War and pieces

Far from idle pursuits, games have transformed the way societies have made sense of life and death, order and conflict for centuries. Kelly Clancy picks five examples that reveal how playtime has often been a serious business

time-read
7 Minuten  |
July 2024
Gulbadan Begum The Mughal Jane Austen
BBC History UK

Gulbadan Begum The Mughal Jane Austen

Gulbadan Begum was meant to live a quiet life in the confines of a Mughal harem. Instead she made her mark on history twice: first, embarking on a pioneering pilgrimage to Islam’s holy cities; second, writing a remarkable history of her dynasty. RUBY LAL tells her story

time-read
5 Minuten  |
July 2024
Succession 1603
BBC History UK

Succession 1603

The passing of the English crown from Elizabeth I to James VI & I was welcomed by a nation hungry for change. But, writes Susan Doran, it wasn't long before tensions began to rise between the incoming king and his new subjects

time-read
9 Minuten  |
July 2024
Horror in France
BBC History UK

Horror in France

On the morning of 10 June 1944, the residents of Oradour-sur-Glane were going about their lives as normally as was possible in occupied France: cooking, washing, shopping, playing. Little did they know that they were about to become the victims of one of the most infamous massacres of the Second World War.

time-read
10 Minuten  |
July 2024
"IT'S TIME TO WRITE WOMEN BACK INTO THESE WORLD-CHANGING ANCIENT EVENTS"
BBC History UK

"IT'S TIME TO WRITE WOMEN BACK INTO THESE WORLD-CHANGING ANCIENT EVENTS"

Daisy Dunn tells the story of the Greco-Persian Wars through the deeds of the extraordinary female figures who shaped them

time-read
10 Minuten  |
July 2024