First Olympic Games - 1896 in Athens, Greece

The opening ceremony in the Panathinaiko Stadium

The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in Athens, Greece, from April 6 to April 15, 1896. It was the first Olympic Games held in the Modern era. Ancient Greece was the birthplace of the Olympic Games, consequently Athens was perceived to be an appropriate choice to stage the inaugural modern Games. It was unanimously chosen as the host city during a congress organized by Pierre de Coubertin, a French pedagogue and historian, in Paris, on June 23, 1894. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was also established during this congress.

Despite many obstacles and setbacks, the 1896 Olympics were regarded as a great success. The Games had the largest international participation of any sporting event to that date. Panathinaiko Stadium, the first big stadium in the modern world, overflowed with the largest crowd ever to watch a sporting event. The highlight for the Greeks was the marathon victory by their compatriot Spiridon Louis. The most successful competitor was German wrestler and gymnast Carl Schuhmann, who won four gold medals.

After the Games, Coubertin and the IOC were petitioned by several prominent figures including Greece's King George and some of the American competitors in Athens, to hold all the following Games in Athens. However, the 1900 Summer Olympics were already planned for Paris and, except for the Intercalated Games of 1906, the Olympics did not return to Greece until the 2004 Summer Olympics, some 108 years later.

Olympic Games History:

Year	Summer Olympic Games		Winter Olympic Games		Youth Olympic Games
	Olympiad	Host city	No.	Host city	No.	Host City
1896	I	Athens, Greece
1900	II	Paris, France
1904	III	St. Louis, United States[147]
1906	III[148]	Athens, Greece
1908	IV	London, United Kingdom
1912	V	Stockholm, Sweden
1916	VI[149]	Berlin, Germany
1920	VII	Antwerp, Belgium
1924	VIII	Paris, France	I	Chamonix, France
1928	IX	Amsterdam, Netherlands	II	St. Moritz, Switzerland
1932	X	Los Angeles, United States	III	Lake Placid, United States
1936	XI	Berlin, Germany	IV	Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
1940	XII[150]	Tokyo, Japan→ Helsinki, Finland	V[150]	Sapporo, Japan→ St. Moritz, Switzerland→ Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
1944	XIII[150]	London, United Kingdom	V[150]	Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
1948	XIV	London, United Kingdom	V	St. Moritz, Switzerland
1952	XV	Helsinki, Finland	VI	Oslo, Norway
1956	XVI	Melbourne, Australia + Stockholm, Sweden[151]	VII	Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
1960	XVII	Rome, Italy	VIII	Squaw Valley, United States
1964	XVIII	Tokyo, Japan	IX	Innsbruck, Austria
1968	XIX	Mexico City, Mexico	X	Grenoble, France
1972	XX	Munich, West Germany	XI	Sapporo, Japan
1976	XXI	Montreal, Canada	XII	Innsbruck, Austria
1980	XXII	Moscow, Soviet Union	XIII	Lake Placid, United States
1984	XXIII	Los Angeles, United States	XIV	Sarajevo, Yugoslavia
1988	XXIV	Seoul, South Korea	XV	Calgary, Canada
1992	XXV	Barcelona, Spain	XVI	Albertville, France
1994			XVII	Lillehammer, Norway
1996	XXVI	Atlanta, United States
1998			XVIII	Nagano, Japan
2000	XXVII	Sydney, Australia
2002			XIX	Salt Lake City, United States
2004	XXVIII	Athens, Greece
2006			XX	Turin, Italy
2008	XXIX	Beijing, China[152][153]
2010			XXI	Vancouver, Canada	I (summer)	Singapore
2012	XXX	London, United Kingdom			I (winter)	Innsbruck, Austria
2014			XXII	Sochi, Russia
2016	XXXI	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2018			XXIII	To be announced

Source: Wikipedia - 1896 Sumer Olympics