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'''James Cleveland''' "'''Jesse'''" '''Owens''' (September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980) was an American [[track and field]] athlete and four-time Olympic gold medalist.

'''James Cleveland''' "'''Jesse'''" '''Owens''' (September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980) was an American [[track and field]] athlete and four-time Olympic gold medalist.

Owens was most accomplished in sprinting and long jump events; he was recognized in his lifetime as "perhaps the greatest and most famous athlete in track and field history".<ref>{{cite web|last= Litsky |first= Frank|year=1980 |title=Jesse Owens Dies Of Cancer at 66 |publication-place=''New York Times'' |url=http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0912.html |accessdate= March 23, 2014 }}</ref> He set three world records and tied another in less than an hour at the 1935 Big Ten track meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan; this has been called "the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/more/05/24/owens.record.day/ |title=Greatest 45 minutes ever in sports |last=Rothschild |first= Richard |date= May 24, 2010|website= Sports Illustrated.com |accessdate= March 23, 2014}}</ref> and has never been equaled. At the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, [[Nazi Germany|Germany]], Owens won four gold medals: 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump, and 4 × 100 meter relay. He was the most successful athlete at the games and as was credited with "single-handedly crush[ing] [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler's]] myth of Aryan supremacy."<ref name=Schwartz>{{cite web|url=http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016393.html |title=Owens Pierced A Myth |last=Schwartz |first=Larry |publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures |work=ESPN |year=2000 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/20000706211910/http://espn.go.com:80/sportscentury/features/00016393.html |archivedate=July 6, 2000 }}</ref>

Owens was most accomplished in sprinting and long jump events; he was recognized in his lifetime as "perhaps the greatest and most famous athlete in track and field history".<ref>{{cite web|last= Litsky |first= Frank|year=1980 |title=Jesse Owens Dies Of Cancer at 66 |publication-place=''New York Times'' |url=http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0912.html |accessdate= March 23, 2014 }}</ref> He set three world records and tied another in less than an hour at the 1935 Big Ten track meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan; this has been called "the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/more/05/24/owens.record.day/ |title=Greatest 45 minutes ever in sports |last=Rothschild |first= Richard |date= May 24, 2010|website= Sports Illustrated.com |accessdate= March 23, 2014}}</ref> and has never been equaled. At the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, [[Nazi Germany|Germany]], Owens won four gold medals: 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump, and 4 × 100 meter relay. He was the most successful athlete at the games and as was credited with "single-handedly crush[ing] [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler's]] myth of Aryan supremacy."<ref name=Schwartz>{{cite web|url=http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016393.html |title=Owens Pierced A Myth |last=Schwartz |first=Larry |publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures |work=ESPN |year=2000 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/20000706211910/http://espn.go.com:80/sportscentury/features/00016393.html |archivedate=July 6, 2000 }}</ref> Owens, a staunch [[Republican]], was snubbed by [[Democrat]] President [[Franklin Roosevelt]] upon his return when Roosevelt invited only white athletes to the [[White House]] for a congratulatory celebration.<ref>https://youtu.be/OURy5WFp0zk</ref>

In 1976, President [[Gerald R. Ford]] awarded Owens the highest honor an American civilian can receive, the Medal of Freedom. [http://www.jesseowens.com/biography/]

In 1976, President [[Gerald R. Ford]] awarded Owens the highest honor an American civilian can receive, the Medal of Freedom. [http://www.jesseowens.com/biography/]