On Friday, August 5, the newest installment of the Summer Olympic Games will begin in Rio. Unfortunately, as this year’s Games begin they’ve been marred by a series of headlines that make Rio — and the Olympics themselves — seem like a bad idea. Between threats of terrorism, the spread of the Zika virus, and the general air of unpreparedness hovering over Rio de Janeiro, it’s hard to say that the world at large is actually looking forward to the proceedings. The whole thing just makes you wish for the halcyon days of the Games, when amateur athletes from around the world converged under a flag of friendly competition in order to simply join in some good fun alongside our fellow human beings. Take a trip down memory lane of some summer Olympics of yore.
13. Mexico City, Mexico
The 1968 Games get most of their fame from the controversial and inspiring gesture made by medal winners Tommie Smith and John Carlos on the podium in rebellious response to the United States policy of segregation. Another hallmark of the Games was the invention of the Fosbury flop, now the dominant method used in the high jump. You know how those athletes leap and throw themselves backwards over the bar? That’s it.
