The Fight for the First U.S. Olympics | Let the Games Begin | 2

American History Tellers

Wondery

History, Education For Kids, Kids & Family, Society & Culture

4.7 • 18.3K Ratings

🗓️ 28 July 2021

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 1904, St. Louis was thrust into the national spotlight, as it played host to both the World’s Fair and America’s first Olympic Games. After a bitter fight over which American city would host, Olympic founder Pierre De Coubertin had disavowed the St. Louis games entirely, passing the torch to amateur sports magnate James Sullivan. But Sullivan brought controversial ideas to the Games -- especially in the form of a contest between “uncivilized” peoples called Anthropology Days.

Bad weather and a lack of international athletes hampered the Olympics further, and kept attendance low. Still, as the games continued, a handful of star athletes emerged, including a one-legged gymnast and a group of Native American women from Montana, who brought a revolutionary spin to the new sport of basketball.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, Prime members, you can listen to American History Tellers add free on Amazon Music,
0:05.6	download the app today.
0:09.4	Imagine it's Fall 1903, your construction worker for the City of St. Louis.
0:23.4	For the last week, you've been tasked with widening the far western end of Manchester
0:27.2	Road.
0:28.2	It's an unremarkable stretch of packed dirt, several miles outside of the city limits.
0:32.4	There's not much out here, just a few farmhouses and chanties.
0:36.8	The job's been long, and arduous, and the rains yesterday nearly flooded the whole area,
0:41.8	but at least it's quieter than working downtown.
0:44.6	You put your shovel down and call out to the rest of the crew.
0:47.5	Alright, that's lunch!
0:51.4	But before you can sit down to your own lunch, some of your men leap to their feet, dropping
0:55.4	their pales.
0:56.7	One of them gestures for you to turn around.
0:59.2	You turn to see an old man holding a shotgun, pointing right at you.
1:03.4	Now, you boys are trespassing.
1:05.0	This is my land.
1:06.8	You hold your hands up, trying to keep calm.
1:09.6	Sir, we mean no disturbance here.
1:11.6	We're from the city.
1:13.2	We're widening Manchester Road for the Olympics.
1:16.0	The what?
	...

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