Archaeologists believe the ancient Olympic Games began more than 4,000 years ago in Olympia, a valley in Greece. Recorded history of the Games dates back to 776 B.C., when the five days of sporting events were primarily religious ceremonies. Held every four years, the Olympic Games attracted as many as 40,000 spectators, who slept on the ground, conducted their worship, and cheered the athletes.

For the first known 13 Games, the competition consisted of single foot race of 200 yards, which was the approximate length of the Olympic stadium. The Games were so important that a four-year interval between them came to be known as an "Olympiad." The Games expanded to include additional contests and reached their height by fifth century BC

Only men were allowed to compete, in the nude, in running, wrestling, the pentathlon, horse riding and chariot races. Women were barred from watching or competing, and were even put to death if they were caught at the early Games.

Victorious athletes were crowned with an olive wreath and treated like heroes for the rest of their lives, each with a splendid statue for all to admire.

After Greece was conquered and made part of the Roman Empire, the Olympic Games moved to Rome in 146 BC The original purpose of the Games was forgotten, and in 394 A.D., the Christians forced the Roman emperor, Thedosius, to end all pagan rituals, including the Olympic Games. These ancient Games had lasted more than 1,200 years, longer than any single ceremonial event in history.

When French historian and educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin organized the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, he established an international competition that closely resembled what we now know as the Olympic Games. The first Olympic Games of the Modern Era were held in Athens, Greece in 1896. The U.S. has hosted these games four times: 1904 in St. Louis, 1932 in Los Angeles, 1984 in Los Angeles, and in 1996 in Atlanta.

The Olympic Winter Games, founded in 1924 in Chamonix, France, have enjoyed steady and impressive growth since then. The 1998 Nagano Olympic Winter Games in Japan hosted as many as 3,000 athletes from 72 countries who competed in 68 events. The largest number of contested events ever. The United States has hosted the Olympic Winter Games three times: Lake Placid, New York in 1932 and again in 1980, and in Squaw Valley, California, in 1960. The Winter Games return to the United States in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Only 13 countries participated in de Coubertin's first modern Olympic Games, held in Athens, Greece, in tribute to the Olympics' birthplace. The athletes competed in just nine sports. The entire US Olympic team consisted of 13 men. The summer Olympic Games have been held every four years since then, with the exception of 1916, 1940 and 1944, when World Wars I and II forced the Games' cancellation.

Today, the Olympic Games are the most prestigious sporting event in the world. The Olympic Games of Atlanta were particularly special because they marked the 100th anniversary of the modern Games. More than 10,000 athletes from 197 countries competed in 26 sports, a far cry from its 1896 ancestor. But at least one thing hasn't changed: de Coubertin's "Olympism" is as cherished now as it was then.