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Olympic Rings -

The Olympic Rings as we know them first appeared as a hand-drawn illustration in a letter written by the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin.

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Paris – Summer Olympics 1924 -

The 1924 Olympics were the second time that Paris had hosted the Games. It was also the last Olympics organized under the presidency of the founder.

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Lake Placid – Winter Olympics 1932 -

The 1932 Olympics set in Lake Placid were the first time that the Winter Games had been held outside of Europe. These Games were also the first time that podium ceremonies were introduced.

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Los Angeles – Summer Olympics 1932 -

The Games of 1932 were the first to have an Olympic Village for athletes.

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Garmisch-Partenkirchen – Winter Olympics 1936 -

The 1936 Summer and Winter Olympics were the last to be held before World War II. During the Winter Games, alpine skiing was included for the first time.

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Berlin – Summer Olympics 1936 -

The Summer Olympics of 1936 were the first ever televised Games. These Games were also notoriously used by the Nazi regime for propaganda purposes.

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St. Moritz – Winter Olympics 1948 -

The Olympics in 1948 were known as the "Games of Renewal" following the events of WWII. Germany and Japan were not invited to compete.

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London – Summer Olympics 1948 -

This was the second time that London had hosted the Olympic Games, after playing host in 1908. Much like the Winter Olympics, Germany and Japan did not make an appearance.

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Oslo – Winter Olympics 1952 -

Oslo’s Games were the first time that the Winter Olympics were held in Norway. It also first introduced the torch relay for the Winter Olympics.

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Helsinki – Summer Olympics 1952 -

To this day, Helsinki is the northernmost city at which any Summer Olympics have been held. The most world records were broken at these Games, before Beijing surpassed them in 2008.

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Cortina d’Ampezzo – Winter Olympics 1956 -

In 1956, the Soviet Union competed in the Winter Olympics for the first time, and also took home the most number of medals.

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Melbourne – Summer Olympics 1956 -

These were the first Games to ever be held in the Southern Hemisphere. But due to Australia’s strict quarantine regulations, Olympic equestrian events were held in Stockholm, Sweden.

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Squaw Valley – Winter Olympics 1960 -

The biathlon and women's speed skating events made their Olympic debuts at the 1960 Winter Olympics. The Games were also the first to be televised live.

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Rome – Summer Olympics 1960 -

The first international Paralympic Games were held in Rome alongside the Summer Olympics. The city was meant to host the Olympics in 1908, but had to pass the honor to London following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906.

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Innsbruck – Winter Olympics 1964 -

Although Innsbruck normally experiences heavy snow, the 1964 Winter Olympics saw the Austrian city threatened by lack of snow. Ice bricks were instead transported to the city from nearby mountains.

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Tokyo – Summer Olympics 1964 -

These Games were the first Olympics held in Asia, and also marked the first time that South Africa was excluded due to the nation’s apartheid regime.

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Grenoble – Winter Olympics 1968 -

The 1968 Winter Olympics were the first to include drug and gender testing for competitors. East and West Germany also entered separately into the Games.

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Mexico – Summer Olympics 1968 -

Not only were the 1968 Summer Olympics the first Games held in Latin America, but they were also the first held in a Spanish-speaking country.

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Sapporo – Winter Olympics 1972 -

These were the first Winter Olympics held outside of Europe and North America. Despite being the host country, Japan finished the Games with the least number of medals.

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Munich – Summer Olympics 1972 -

The Summer Olympics of 1972 were drastically overshadowed by the Munich massacre, which is still considered one of the biggest disasters in Olympic history.

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Innsbruck – Winter Olympics 1976 -

The US city of Denver was originally expected to host the Games, but Innsbruck became the host after they withdrew. This marked the second time that the Austrian city hosted the Olympics.

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Montreal – Summer Olympics 1976 -

To this day, the 1976 Games marked the first and only time that Canada hosted the Summer Olympics.

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Lake Placid – Winter Olympics 1980 -

The Games of 1980 saw the People's Republic of China, Cyprus, and Costa Rica participating in the Winter Olympics for the first time, and it was the second time that Lake Placid played host.

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Moscow – Summer Olympics 1980 -

The 1980 Summer Olympics were the first ever held in an Eastern Bloc country. Due to the Soviet Union’s war against Afghanistan, 66 countries boycotted the Games and refused to attend.

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Sarajevo – Winter Olympics 1984 -

The host country of Yugoslavia won its first-ever medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics, and Austria (usually a formidable contender in winter sports) only earned one bronze medal.

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Los Angeles – Summer Olympics 1984 -

The most financially successful event of the modern Olympics, the 1984 Summer Olympics generated a profit of over US$250 million.

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Calgary – Winter Olympics 1988 -

These Games were the last Winter Olympics attended by the Soviet Union and East Germany before they were both dissolved.

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Seoul – Summer Olympics 1988 -

The 1988 Summer Olympics saw the return of tennis as an Olympic sport after a 64-year absence. Table tennis was also introduced for the first time.

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Albertville – Winter Olympics 1992 -

These Games were the fifth Olympics held in France, and eight nations debuted at the event, including former Yugoslavian republics Croatia and Slovenia.

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Barcelona – Summer Olympics 1992 -

After a 32-year ban, South Africa was permitted to participate in the 1992 Summer Olympics.

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Lillehammer – Winter Olympics 1994 -

Six new events were introduced at the 1994 Winter Games, including indoor speed skating and short-track speed skating.

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Atlanta – Summer Olympics 1996 -

The 1996 Summer Olympics were the first time that the Winter and Summer Games were held in different years, although the event was overshadowed by the bomb explosion in Centennial Olympic Park.

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Nagano – Winter Olympics 1998 -

The 1998 Winter Olympics saw the introduction of women’s ice hockey and snowboarding as new events, and American figure skater Tara Lipinski became the youngest Olympic gold medalist in history at the age of 15 years and 255 days.

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Sydney – Summer Olympics 2000 -

These Games were the second time that Australia hosted the Olympics, and also the second held in the Southern Hemisphere.

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Salt Lake City – Winter Olympics 2002 -

The 2002 Winter Olympics, held in the US, was particularly marked by strict post-9/11 security that had never before been seen at the Games.

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Athens – Summer Olympics 2004 -

The 2004 Games saw the event return to the birthplace of the Olympics. It also saw the introduction of women’s wresting as a new event.

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Torino – Winter Olympics 2006 -

These Games were Italy’s first since hosting the 1956 Winter Olympics. Interestingly, the logo of the 2006 Games was meant to depict white and blue ice crystals.

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Beijing – Summer Olympics 2008 -

The country of Nepal participated in the Olympics for the first time in 2008, and a surprising 87 countries won at least one medal.

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Vancouver – Winter Olympics 2010 -

Even though Canada hosted the Games for a third time, 2010 saw the nation earn its first-ever gold medal while being a host.

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London – Summer Olympics 2012 -

London became the first city to host the modern Olympics three times, although Great Britain only came third on the medal table, surpassed by China and the United States.

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Sochi – Winter Olympics 2014 -

A record-breaking 98 events were held during the Winter Olympics of 2014, and the Games cost a shocking US$51 billion, reportedly.

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Rio – Summer Olympics 2016 -

The 2016 Summer Olympics were the first time that the Games were held in South America, and also the first held in a Portuguese-speaking country.

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PyeongChang – Winter Olympics 2018 -

After a state-sponsored doping program was exposed, the Russian Olympic Committee was suspended and athletes have since been disallowed from competing on behalf of Russia.

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Tokyo – Summer Olympics 2020 -

For the first time in Olympics history, the 2020 Summer Games were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the events were held without public spectators. The Games also introduced skateboarding for the first time.

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Beijing – Winter Olympics 2022 -

The 2022 Winter Olympics saw Beijing become the first-ever city to host both the Summer and Winter Games.

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Paris – Summer Olympics 2024 -

In 2024, Paris became the second city ever to host the Summer Olympics three times, after London. It also featured break dancing as an Olympic sport for the first time.

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Milano Cortina – Winter Olympics 2026 -

The upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics will be the fourth Games hosted in Italy, and will be the first to feature multiple host cities.

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Los Angeles – Summer Olympics 2028 -

The future 2028 Summer Games will be the ninth Olympics to be held in the United States, and LA will also be the third three-time host city after London and Paris.

Sources: (The Olympics) (Colorlib)

See also: The most impressive images from this year’s Olympic Games (so far)

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