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Quiz about History of the Summer Olympics
Quiz about History of the Summer Olympics

History of the Summer Olympics Quiz

A lot has happened since the modern Summer Olympic Games were first held in 1896. What do you know about the history of its events, as well as the history of the host cities?
This is a renovated/adopted version of an old quiz by author Melba

A multiple-choice quiz by Lance_the_Red. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
Lance_the_Red
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
6,199
Updated
Oct 04 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
198
Last 3 plays: Guest 80 (9/10), Guest 68 (6/10), Guest 135 (8/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. The 1896 Summer Olympics featured competitions in nine sports. Which one of these was NOT seen in this first Olympics? Hint


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Question 2 of 10
2. The first games were held in Athens in 1896. At the centennial in 1996, Athens put in a bid to host the games again, but lost out. What city hosted them that year? Hint


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Question 3 of 10
3. From its start in 1896 through 1952, the Summer Olympics were held in either Europe (ten times) or the USA (two times). The host in 1956 broke this cycle, though. What non-European, non-US city hosted that year? Hint


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Question 4 of 10
4. The winner of the men's 100m is often heralded as the "World's Fastest Man" among track and field fans. Who was the first person to repeat as gold medalist in that event? Hint


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Question 5 of 10
5. Gymnastics-- particularly women's gymnastics-- is a huge draw for the Summer Olympics. The women's all-around team medals were first given out in 1928. The USSR first won gold in 1952, and won another seven consecutive golds. What country finally broke that streak in 1984? Hint


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Question 6 of 10
6. Nowadays, highjumpers typically use the Fosbury Flop technique, where the jumper approaches the bar at an angle, head-first and upside down, arching the back over the bar before kicking the legs over at the last moment. The technique's inventor, Dick Fosbury, made it popular when he used it in the Olympics, setting an Olympic record. Which Olympics was this? Hint


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Question 7 of 10
7. The second Summer Olympics were held in 1900 in Paris and saw the introduction of a number of new competitions that were eventually discontinued. Of course, a discontinued sport can always make a return. Which of the following event,s that were introduced in Paris and then discontinued, was the first to make a comeback? Hint


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Question 8 of 10
8. The modern athletic (i.e. track and field) pentathlon-- originally consisting of five events (long jump, javelin, 200m, discus, 1500m)-- was first held at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. Who won this inaugural event? Hint


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Question 9 of 10
9. In February of 2013, the IOC voted to remove a sport from the Olympics. This sport has long been associated with the games, and it was ultimately reinstated. Which sports was it? Hint


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Question 10 of 10
10. World wars have led to the cancellation of three Summer Olympics. What cities missed out during those wars? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The 1896 Summer Olympics featured competitions in nine sports. Which one of these was NOT seen in this first Olympics?

Answer: Archery

 Archery was first contested in 1900, though there is some dispute about how many of those events were "official" Olympics events, as opposed to those connected to that year's World's Fair.
2. The first games were held in Athens in 1896. At the centennial in 1996, Athens put in a bid to host the games again, but lost out. What city hosted them that year?

Answer: Atlanta

 Athens actually made it to the final round of voting, but lost to Atlanta 51-35. It was the fourth time that the USA hosted the Summer Olympics.
( St. Louis 1904, LA 1932 and LA again in 1984).
3. From its start in 1896 through 1952, the Summer Olympics were held in either Europe (ten times) or the USA (two times). The host in 1956 broke this cycle, though. What non-European, non-US city hosted that year?

Answer: Melbourne

 Because Australia is in the southern hemisphere, the games were held from November through December of that year.
4. The winner of the men's 100m is often heralded as the "World's Fastest Man" among track and field fans. Who was the first person to repeat as gold medalist in that event?

Answer: Carl Lewis (USA)

 Lewis won in 1984 (Los Angeles) and 1988 (Seoul). Borzov won in 1972 (Munich) but was third in 1976 (Montreal). Fredericks got the silver in back-to-back Olympics in 1992 (Barcelona) and 1996 (Atlanta). There's no telling what Owens-- who won gold in 1936 (Berlin)-- would have done, but World War II got in the way and the Olympics didn't resume until 1948.
5. Gymnastics-- particularly women's gymnastics-- is a huge draw for the Summer Olympics. The women's all-around team medals were first given out in 1928. The USSR first won gold in 1952, and won another seven consecutive golds. What country finally broke that streak in 1984?

Answer: Romania

 The Romanian team was the only Eastern Bloc nation NOT to boycott the Olympics in 1984, and with the USSR out of the way, it was a relatively easy win for Romania-- who got the silver in 1976 and '80. In 1988, the USSR got gold again and Romania-- again-- got silver.
6. Nowadays, highjumpers typically use the Fosbury Flop technique, where the jumper approaches the bar at an angle, head-first and upside down, arching the back over the bar before kicking the legs over at the last moment. The technique's inventor, Dick Fosbury, made it popular when he used it in the Olympics, setting an Olympic record. Which Olympics was this?

Answer: 1968 Mexico City

 Fosbury's Olympic record was 2.24m. An impressive jump-- no doubt helped by the high altitude of the venue. Unfortunately, Fosbury never held the world record (at that time, it was 2.28m, and Fosbury made three attempts at 2.29 but couldn't clear it). Nevertheless, almost all world record holders in the high jump since then have used this technique.
7. The second Summer Olympics were held in 1900 in Paris and saw the introduction of a number of new competitions that were eventually discontinued. Of course, a discontinued sport can always make a return. Which of the following event,s that were introduced in Paris and then discontinued, was the first to make a comeback?

Answer: Archery

 Archery was featured in the 1900 Paris, 1904 St. Louis, and 1908 London games. It was discontinued but revived at the 1920 Antwerp games, and then discontinued until another revival in 1972 (Munich) and has been a regular feature since then.
8. The modern athletic (i.e. track and field) pentathlon-- originally consisting of five events (long jump, javelin, 200m, discus, 1500m)-- was first held at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. Who won this inaugural event?

Answer: Jim Thorpe (USA)

 This event had a short life in the Olympics, as it was deemed somewhat redundant given the presence of the decathlon. In 1912, though, Thorpe dominated the event-- placing first in the long jump, 200m, discus, and 1500m (he was third in the javelin). There was some controversy regarding his "amateur" status and he was stripped of his medals in 1913.

In July of 2022, however, the IOC reinstated Thorpe as the winner of the pentathlon (as well as the decathlon). Bie was second in 1912, while Lehtonen and Bradley finished first and second in the next Olympics held in Antwerp in 1920.

This version of the pentathlon was discontinued after the 1924 Olympics.
9. In February of 2013, the IOC voted to remove a sport from the Olympics. This sport has long been associated with the games, and it was ultimately reinstated. Which sports was it?

Answer: Wrestling

 Wrestling, of course, has traditions going back to the ancient Greek Olympic games. After the 2013 vote, the outcry was immense and by September of that same year, the sport was reinstated and saw competition in the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo games.
10. World wars have led to the cancellation of three Summer Olympics. What cities missed out during those wars?

Answer: Berlin, Helsinki, London

 The 1916, 1940, and 1944 games were cancelled. Berlin was to host in 1916, but World War I forced a cancellation. Helsinki (taking over for Tokyo after Japan got involved in the Sino-Japanese War in 1937) was to host in 1940 and London in 1944, but World War II stopped that. Berlin, Rome, and Tokyo were the capitals of the "Axis Powers" in World War II.

The other answers feature cities that were in the final running for the 1916, 1940, and 1944 Olympics.
Source: Author Lance_the_Red

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
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Referenced Topics
Adopted Quizzes   Sports   History   World   European Geography   Olympic Games   European Football   Australian Geography   Olympic Summer Games   Inventors   Australian Sports   London   Japan   Geography "What Country am I in?"    World Records   Mexico   Figure Skating USA   Archery   2020 Tokyo   Romanian Football   2016 Rio  

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