Difference between revisions of "Jesse Owens"
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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=https://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=https://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> | ||
| − | Snubbed by [[Democrat]]ic president [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] upon his return when Roosevelt invited only white athletes to the [[White House]] for a congratulatory celebration, Owens accepted an offer by the [[Republican Party]] to speak on its behalf; at a campaign for party nominee [[Alfred M. Landon]] in the [[United States presidential election, 1936|1936 U.S. presidential election]], he stated:<ref>Gipson, Therlee (May 29, 2018). [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Holocaust_Genocide/j4ydDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=jesse+owens+alf+landon&pg=PA17&printsec=frontcover Holocaust-Genocide], p. 17. ''Google Books''. Retrieved May 28, 2023.</ref><ref>Gentry, Tony (1990). [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Jesse_Owens/dBVLsYHs04wC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=jesse+owens+alf+landon&pg=PA150&printsec=frontcover Jesse Owens], p. 150. ''Google Books''. Retrieved May 28, 2023.</ref><ref>Streissguth, Tom (1999). [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Jesse_Owens_2nd_Edition/NvOXAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=jesse+owens+alf+landon&pg=PA70&printsec=frontcover Jesse Owens, 2nd Edition], p. 70. ''Google Books''. Retrieved May 28, 2023.</ref> | + | Snubbed by [[Democrat]]ic president [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] upon his return when Roosevelt invited only white athletes to the [[White House]] for a congratulatory celebration, Owens accepted an offer by the [[Republican Party]] to speak on its behalf; at a campaign for party nominee [[Alfred M. Landon]] in the [[United States presidential election, 1936|1936 U.S. presidential election]], he stated:<ref>Gipson, Therlee (May 29, 2018). [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Holocaust_Genocide/j4ydDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=jesse+owens+alf+landon&pg=PA17&printsec=frontcover Holocaust-Genocide], p. 17. ''Google Books''. Retrieved May 28, 2023.</ref><ref name=gentry>Gentry, Tony (1990). [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Jesse_Owens/dBVLsYHs04wC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=jesse+owens+alf+landon&pg=PA150&printsec=frontcover Jesse Owens], p. 150. ''Google Books''. Retrieved May 28, 2023.</ref><ref>Streissguth, Tom (1999). [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Jesse_Owens_2nd_Edition/NvOXAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=jesse+owens+alf+landon&pg=PA70&printsec=frontcover Jesse Owens, 2nd Edition], p. 70. ''Google Books''. Retrieved May 28, 2023.</ref> |
{{cquote|[[Hitler]] didn’t snub me; it was our president [[FDR]] who snubbed me. The president didn’t even send a telegram.}} | {{cquote|[[Hitler]] didn’t snub me; it was our president [[FDR]] who snubbed me. The president didn’t even send a telegram.}} | ||
| − | + | Owens also "soon became a favorite of Republican president [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]."<ref name=gentry/> Later at his life in 1976, President [[Gerald R. Ford]] awarded him the highest honor an American civilian can receive, the Medal of Freedom. | |
==Quotes about Owens== | ==Quotes about Owens== | ||
Revision as of 21:19, May 28, 2023
| James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Born | September 12, 1913 Oakville, Alabama | ||
| Died | March 31, 1980 Tucson, Arizona | ||
| Political Party | Republican | ||
| Spouse | Minnie Ruth Solomon | ||
| Religion | Christian[1] | ||
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".[2] 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"[3] and has never been equaled. At the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, 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] Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy."[4]
Snubbed by Democratic president Franklin D. Roosevelt upon his return when Roosevelt invited only white athletes to the White House for a congratulatory celebration, Owens accepted an offer by the Republican Party to speak on its behalf; at a campaign for party nominee Alfred M. Landon in the 1936 U.S. presidential election, he stated:[5][6][7]
| “ | Hitler didn’t snub me; it was our president FDR who snubbed me. The president didn’t even send a telegram. | ” |
Owens also "soon became a favorite of Republican president Dwight D. Eisenhower."[6] Later at his life in 1976, President Gerald R. Ford awarded him the highest honor an American civilian can receive, the Medal of Freedom.
Quotes about Owens
| “ | Perhaps no athlete better symbolized the human struggle against tyranny, poverty and racial bigotry. His personal triumphs as a world-class athlete and record holder were the prelude to a career devoted to helping others. His work with young athletes, as an unofficial ambassador overseas, and a spokesman for freedom are a rich legacy to his fellow Americans | ” |
—President Jimmy Carter | ||
Further reading
- Jeremy Schaap, Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics, (2007) 272 pp.
References
- ↑ January 15, 2023. Letter to Famed Olympian Jessie Owens Shows His Faith's Impact. CBN. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ↑ Litsky, Frank (1980). Jesse Owens Dies Of Cancer at 66. Retrieved on March 23, 2014.
- ↑ Rothschild, Richard (May 24, 2010). Greatest 45 minutes ever in sports. Retrieved on March 23, 2014.
- ↑ Schwartz, Larry (2000). Owens Pierced A Myth. ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on July 6, 2000.
- ↑ Gipson, Therlee (May 29, 2018). Holocaust-Genocide, p. 17. Google Books. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Gentry, Tony (1990). Jesse Owens, p. 150. Google Books. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ↑ Streissguth, Tom (1999). Jesse Owens, 2nd Edition, p. 70. Google Books. Retrieved May 28, 2023.