Although women were banned, these games are important because they were the first modern Olympics.

Cassius Clay (Mohammed Ali) and Wilma Randolph won medals.

USA won 42 gold medals vs Russia's 24. Muhammed Ali lit the Olympic torch.

First Olympic Games which were televised live. These Games featured runner Jesse Owens.

Olga Korbut and Mark Spitz were stars of these games. Games were marred by a group of eight Palestinian terrorists belonging to the Black September organization broke into the Olympic Village and took eleven Israeli athletes, coaches and officials hostage in their apartments. Two of the hostages who resisted were killed in the first moments of the break-in; the subsequent standoff in the Olympic Village lasted for almost 18 hours.