Olympic Museum
The Olympic Symbols
Get into the Olympic spirit with a resource about the values and symbols of the Olympic Games. With sections about prominent images of the Olympics, including the flame and the interlocked rings, the packet supplies engaging information...
ProCon
Olympics
Are the Olympic Games a benefit for their host countries and cities? Scholars decide for themselves in preparation for a class debate or discussion. After reading a brief background and overview of the topic, pupils read the top three...
Penn Museum
Maya Ball
Sure the ancient Mayan civilization had an advanced calendar and mathematical system, but did you know that they also played a great team sport like basketball? Invite your learners to discover the great ballcourt at Chichen Itza and...
ProCon
Drug Use in Sports
The ancient Greeks used performance enhancing drugs, such as opium juice, when they participated in the original Olympic Games. Pupils research a website with debate topics to decide if athletes' use of such drugs in modern sports is...
Greek Gods
Greek Gods: Ancient Greece: Ancient Olympia
This site focuses on Ancient Olympia, an archaeological site of Peloponnese, in southern Greece known as the Cradle of the Olympic Games. The Games were played in Zeus's honor; they dated back to 776 BC and were held every four years.
The History Place
The History Place: The Triumph of Hitler: The Berlin Olympics
Discusses the Olympics that took place in Berlin in 1936, the angry debates and protests over Hitler's anti-Semitic policies, and how Hitler used the Olympics as a way to display the power of the Nazi regime on the world stage.
The History Cat
The History Cat: The Greek Olympic Games
Read about how the Olympic games started in ancient Greece. In 394 A.D., Emperor Theodosius I abolished the Olympics and they were not revived until the late 1800s.
Able Media
Able Media Llc: The Ancient Olympics
A series of articles and historical information about the history, origins, and events of the ancient Olympics.
United Nations
Unesco: Archaeological Site of Olympia
This World Heritage website features Olympia, the site of the ancient Greek Olympics. Found here are a description, links, a map, documentation, and photos of its many archaeological treasures.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Curling
This article on curling provides a history of the sport, as well as "basics of the game," information on the playing surface, players and equipment. Includes a "graphical depiction of a curling sheet," photographs of equipment and a lot...
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Figure Skating
This is a great resource for fans of figure skating and those wanting to know more about the technical aspects of the sport. Read about the equipment, jumps, spins, steps, and scoring system. Also, learn about the history of the sport,...
Library of Congress
Loc: Today in History: May 28: Jim Thorpe
This is a biographical sketch of American athlete Jim Thorpe. Thorpe was a versatile athlete who is regarded as "the greatest American athlete of the first half of the twentieth century".
Library of Congress
Loc: Today in History: July 30: 1932 Olympics & Henry Ford
Interesting pieces about the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles and about Henry Ford and his impact on society. Includes great photos of early athletes and automobiles.
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Girls Changing History Alice Coachman
A biographical view of Alice Coachman who was the first African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal, in 1948.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History: American Mammals: Olympic Marmot
Olympic Marmots are highly social, living in groups made up of an adult male, one or more adult females, two-year-olds, yearlings, and young. Their diet consists of grasses and sedges, with flowering plants in season. Learn more about...
Stephen Byrne
History for Kids: The Ancient Greek Olympics
Teaches about the origins of the Greek Olympic games and their evolution to become a significant cultural phenomenon in ancient Greece.
Other
Foundation of Hellenic World: From Ancient Olympia to Athens of 1896
History timeline with informational text begins with Ancient Olympia and takes viewers on a journey through the Minoans and Myceneans, Homer and the Polis to Athens of 1896.
Stephen Byrne
History for Kids: Greek Games
History for Kids presents information on the history of children's games in ancient Greece. Site contains examples, activities, worksheets and quizzes.
Stephen Byrne
History for Kids: Jim Thorpe
History for Kids presents an overview of the life story of Jim Thorpe, a Native American from Oklahoma who was a superb athlete competing in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics before moving on to play professional baseball and football.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Leon Spinks
This entry from Encyclopedia Brittanica's Guide to Black History features Leon Spinks, an American boxer who won an Olympic gold medal in 1976 and was the world heavyweight champion in 1978. He and Michael Spinks became the first...
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Gertrude Ederle, First Woman to Swim the English Channel
This resource provides information about Gertrude Ederle.
University Press
University Press: Ancient Greece
Exhaustive and informative collection of information on ancient Greece arranged by topical area: art, architecture, history, the Olympics, wars, geography, mythology, people, and more.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Short Track Speed Skating
Here is a concise article on short track speed skating which includes great illustrations of the short track (it shows how it differs from the long track), the "glide stride" used by skaters, and the skates worn by competitors. Watch a...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Wilma Rudolph
Biographical story of the life of Wilma Rudolph, an American sprinter, the first American woman to win three track-and-field gold medals in a single Olympics.