What Year Was the First Summer Olympics Held in the United States?

The first time that the Summer Olympics came to the United States was in 1904 when St. Louis hosted the competition. Some 651 athletes took part in these Olympics in 94 events.

  1. Time Frame

    • The Summer Olympics took place on Washington University's campus from July 1 to Nov. 23. The organizers attempted to hold an event each day.

    Overshadowed

    • At the same time the Olympics were in St. Louis, there was also a World's Fair present, which wound up greatly overshadowing the athletic competitions. The same thing occurred in Paris four years earlier, but the St. Louis organizers failed to learn from this mistake.

    Participation

    • Even though a dozen countries had representation by athletes at these Games, the only participants were Americans in 42 events. The overseas trip and prolonged train ride necessary to reach St. Louis kept the European contingent to a minimum.

    Significance

    • The 1904 Summer Games were the first to feature gold medals for the winners of an event, silver for second place and a bronze medal for third.

    Eyser

    • The American gymnast George Eyser, who had lost his left leg and had a wooden prosthetic leg, won three gold medals, two silver and one bronze in six events, including a gold for rope climbing.