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Jesse Owens Biography
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Jesse Owens was one of the greatest athletes in the history of Olympic sports. His exploits in the 1936 Olympics will go down as one of the greatest sporting achievements of all time.
Where did Jesse Owens grow up?
Jesse Owens was born in Oakville, Alabama on September 12, 1913. He grew up in Alabama with his 10 brothers and sisters until his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio when he was nine.
Jesse found out early that he was faster than the rest of the kids. In middle school he had to work after school so his track coach, Charles Riley, let him practice before school. Jesse said that the encouragement he got from Coach Riley went a long way in helping him to succeed in track and field.
Jesse first showed what he could do on a national stage at the National High School Championships. He broke the matched the world record in the 100 yard dash at 9.4 seconds and long jumped 24 feet 9 1/2 inches.
Where did Jesse Owens go to college?
Jesse went to Ohio State University for college. While at Ohio State, Jesse was the best track and field athlete in the NCAA winning eight individual championships in two years. At a 1935 Big Ten track meet in Michigan, Jesse had perhaps the greatest set of track and field events in the history of track. He tied one world record (100 yard sprint) and broke 3 world records (220 yard sprint, 220 yard hurdles, long jump) in the period of 45 minutes.
How did he get the nickname Jesse?
Jesse's given first name was James and his middle name Cleveland. As a kid, his nickname was J.C. for James Cleveland. When he moved from Alabama to Ohio, he told his teacher his name was "JC" and she heard it wrong, probably due to his southern accent, and wrote down Jesse. He was called Jesse ever since.
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Olympics were held in Berlin, Germany. This was the time when Adolf Hitler had gained power through his Nazi party, but before WWII had broken out. Part of Hitler's philosophy was the superiority of the white race. He expected Germans to dominate the Olympic games. Jesse Owens, however, had his own chapter to write into history. Jesse won four gold medals in the games including gold for the 100 meter sprint, the 200 meter sprint, the 2x100 meter relay, and the long jump.
Fun Facts about Jesse Owens
- He was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity in college.
- At Ohio State, he was known as the "Buckeye Bullet".
- He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976 by President Ford.
- The Jesse Owens Award is given out annually to the top track and field athlete in the United States.
- There have been two US Postage stamps (1990, 1998) in honor of Jesse Owens.
- The track and field stadium at Ohio State is called the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
- He was married to Minnie Ruth Solomon in 1935. They had three daughters together.
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Kid's Poll |
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Which of these cities would you most like to visit on vacation?
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Joke of the Day |
Q: Knock, knock----Who's there?----Nobel----Nobel who?
A: No bell, that's why I knocked!
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Today In History |
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Who was born on this day:
1859 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Author of Sherlock Holmes novels)
1982 Apollo Anton Ohno (Olympic speed skater)
What happened today in history:
1960 The strongest earthquake ever recorded (9.5) hits Chile.
1967 The first episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
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