History of the Modern Olympics

The first recorded ancient Olympic Games were held in 776 BC, held in Olympia, Greece. See more about the Ancient Olympic Games.
The 'Wenlock Games', officially called the Wenlock Olympian Society Annual Games, dates from 1850, and was a forerunner of the modern Olympic Games which did not start until almost 50 years later. The Games are currently are held annually in the Shropshire village of Much Wenlock, England. In honor of this, one of the Olympic mascots for the London 2012 Summer Olympics is named Wenlock.
In 1894, a French educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin, proposed a revival of the ancient tradition, and thus the modern-day Olympic Summer Games were born.

The first Olympic Games of the modern era were held in Athens in 1896.
Women first competed at the 1900 Paris Games (more about Women at the Olympics)
Because of World War I and World War II, there were no Olympic Games in 1916, 1940, or 1944.
You can read information about the history of each host country.

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