Vasily alekseyev photo 1976 olympic games

After years of being excluded from competition, the 1900 Olympics introduced five events for women—tennis, equestrian, croquet, sailing, and golf.

British tennis player Charlotte Cooper Sterry became the first female Olympic tennis champion, after winning both the mixed doubles and singles competitions.

Vasily alekseyev photo 1976 olympic games

Jesse Owens won four gold medals for track in the '36 Olympics, proving himself a phenomenal, non-Aryan athlete as Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler looked on.

American sprinter Helen Stephens took home two gold medals and set a new Olympic record at the 1936 summer games in Berlin for the 100-meter event.

Stephens' world record (11.5 seconds!) stood unmatched for decades, until 1960 when Wilma Rudolph beat it.

Abebe Bikila set an Olympic