Innholdsfortegnelse for July/August 2016 i Cobblestone American History and Current Events for Kids and Children

One Greek myth describes how Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and civilization, became Athens’s patron deity after she presented the city with an olive tree. The olive tree and its fruit—the olive and olive oil—became sacred to the ancient Greeks. The oil was used as fuel for light and as an anointing oil at important ceremonies. An olive branch has long been considered a symbol of peace. For Olympic winners in ancient Greece, the prize of a crown of olive leaves was considered a great honor.…

The modern Olympic Games generate international excitement. Here’s a look at some remarkable individuals whose achievements at the Summer Olympics inspired the world. The First Perfect 10 At the Summer Olympics, gymnastic routines are scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being a perfect routine. Before the 1976 Montreal Olympics, no athlete had ever received a perfect score. But at those Games, Nadia Comaneci, a 14-year-old girl from Romania, became the first gymnast to receive not just one perfect score but seven! She earned three gold medals—on the balance beam, in the floor exercise, and for the individual all-around. Nadia’s scores changed what audiences came to expect from athletes and redefined the sport of gymnastics. She won two more gold medals in the 1980 Moscow Olympics before…

In 490 b . c ., a vastly outnumbered Greek army won a battle against a mighty invading Persian army. As the story goes, the Greeks sent a runner to carry the news from the battlefield in the town of Marathon to the city of Athens, which was about 26 miles away. The messenger delivered his message and then collapsed and died. In 1896, the organizers of the modern Olympic Games decided to include a long-distance footrace called the marathon. Today, “marathon” can mean a long-distance race of 26.2 miles, or it can mean an event or activity that requires prolonged effort or endurance. Answers to The Ancient Art of Athletics from page 14 : 1. Long Jump; 2. Shot Put; 3. Javelin Throw; 4. High Jump; 5. Discus…

According to the records kept by the ancient Greeks, Koroibos (also spelled Coroebus) was the champion of the first Olympic Games in 776 b.c. He was a cook from Elis, the city-state in which Olympia is located. Every four years after that, in a measurement of time that the Greeks referred to as an Olympiad, Olympia became the host city for the ancient Games. In time, a large temple to Zeus, the leader of the Greek gods, was built in Olympia. The city became a sacred place that was used for religious festivals and for the athletic events that came to be associated with it. Runners from Olympia would announce a truce about a month before the Games to ensure safe travel for athletes and spectators. All wars and conflicts…

Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a French aristocrat and teacher, believed that physical education and activity were important for a person’s overall well being. For years, he had tried to find ways to bring his message to a larger audience. He knew about the ancient Greeks and the way they had valued athletic competition. In 1894, he founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He hoped the organization would bring together athletes from around the world to compete against one another. He also believed that such an event would promote international peace and understanding. With Coubertin’s urging, the committee decided to re-create the Olympic Games of ancient Greece. Coubertin proposed Paris as the host of the Games to be held in 1900, but the IOC decided to hold the first modern Olympics…

As the man behind the modern Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin thought carefully about what the modern Games should represent. Here’s a look at the origins of some familiar Olympic symbols. THE CREED At a service for Olympic athletes in London in 1908, American bishop Ethelbert Talbot gave a sermon that addressed the Olympic Games that were taking place in the city. Talbot’s words inspired de Coubertin, who suggested a creed to remind Olympic athletes why they participated in the games. The original wording has been modified to: “The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight; the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well.” THE RINGS De Coubertin designed the five interlocking circles—blue, black, red, yellow, and green—on a field of…

In 1908, when the Olympic Games were held in London, the British royal family asked that the marathon begin at Windsor Castle and end in front of their royal box in the Olympic Stadium—a distance of 26.2 miles. It became the official length of the marathon. American Eddie Eagan is the only Olympic athlete to win a gold medal in both the Summer and the Winter Olympics in different events. He won for boxing in 1920 and as a member of a four-man bobsled team in 1932. Following guidelines from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), each host city and its specially created Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (OCOG) design torches, mascots, posters, and medals for their Games. The United States has won the most total medals in the Summer…

Athletes don’t just show up at the Olympics ready to compete. Their training starts years earlier, and they must pass many hurdles just to get a chance to go. Logan Stieber started his wrestling career as a middle school student in Ohio. After four state titles in high school, Stieber went to Ohio State University, where he majored in sociology and criminology. He also won four NCAA championships and the Dan Hodge Trophy (see page 34) in 2015, which is given to the most outstanding college wrestler of the year. Earlier this year, he set his sights set on the Olympics. COBBLESTONE talked with Stieber about his training shortly before he participated in the 2016 Olympic trials. When did making the U.S. Olympic team become a dream of yours? High…

Ancient Greece’s geography—multiple islands and mountainous terrain—led to the creation of large, somewhat isolated population centers that formed into independent city-states. While all Greeks shared some things in common, such as speaking the same language and worshipping the same gods, their loyalty to their individual city-states kept them politically, economically, and militarily independent. Athens, Corinth, Ithaca, and Sparta, were large city-states in ancient Greece.…

The Olympic Games can be exhilarating and heartbreaking. Over time, aspects of the Summer Olympics have had an impact not just on sports history for the traditions they established but also on history in general because of the events that took place at them. 1912 Stockholm The 1900 Paris, 1904 St. Louis, and 1908 London Olympics were held at the same time that those cities also were hosting world’s fairs, which lasted for six months. The arrangement overshadowed the Olympics, but the 1912 Stockholm Olympics captured a new energy and spirit. For the first time, athletes from the continent of Asia (Japan) joined athletes from Africa, America, Australia, and Europe. Modern technological innovations—electronic timing equipment, photo finishes, and an announcement system—were introduced and added to the success of the Games.…

Olympic ideals inspire athletes to go faster, aim higher, and be stronger. But they’re not the only competitors in the world arena. The Paralympics bring together elite athletes who have physical disabilities. The Paralympic Games are held shortly after the Olympic Games, using the same facilities in the same cities. Special Olympics organizes competitions for athletes with intellectual disabilities. Read on to learn more about these extraordinary events and the people they involve. Spirit in Motion A spinal cord injury at age 19 ended Adam Bleakney’s college wrestling career. Less than a year later, though, he began wheelchair racing. “I was looking to fill that void” of not competing in sports, Bleakney says. Four Paralympic Games and a silver medal from the 2004 Athens Games later, he now coaches other…

Road to the Civil War Chicago The Transcontinental Railroad Write to us! Draw a picture or write a poem or short essay that connects to one of the above COBBLESTONE themes on which we currently are working. All contributions must be your original work. Include a note from a parent or legal guardian clearly stating: “This is my child’s original work, and COBBLESTONE has permission to publish it with my child’s name, age, and hometown, in print and online.” We will include as many as we can in the upcoming issue to which your work relates.…