Since winter and early spring means we can’t get on the road, we spent some time enjoying some in-between excursions. Our first one was to the Atlanta History Center; we saw so much that day that I’m going to split it into 4 posts. This first one takes us to the latest event that put Atlanta on the map—the 1996 Olympics; then we’ll look at Atlanta’s part in the Civil War, discover what the world learned about the battle of Atlanta years after it happened, and finally read about the myths of the war that developed and perhaps carry on today.
Probably the most memorable event of Atlanta’s history was hosting the Centennial 1996 Olympic Games. But it helps to know the history of the games, as well as what it took for the city, and the surrounding areas, to host the games.
The modern games in Athens were the largest sporting event of its era as it hosted 241 male athletes from 14 nations. Most of the 9 events took place in the excavated and refurbished Panathenaic Stadium, an athletic site going back to 330 B.C.
Since 1936, the Olympic Games has featured a torch relay; individuals carry a flame from Olympia, Greece, to light the Olympic Cauldron during the Opening Ceremony.
In 1996, more than 12,000 torchbearers carried the flame through the U.S. It came to Atlanta on trains, planes, boats, horses, and bicycles; then it came by foot and by wheelchair. It even went into space to get to Atlanta.
That summer Atlanta hosted both the Olympics and the Paralympics. The crowd roared when Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic cauldron, felt a sense of relief when Kerri Strug landed a vault, and were delighted when Michael Johnson put on his golden shoes. And then fear took over the city when a terrorist attack shook residents, visitors, and the world.
Change coming from Atlanta’s Olympics continues today.
Atlanta’s flames
The flame is lit in Olympia, Greece, from the focus of the sun’s rays on a curved mirror. This original fire, dubbed the “mother flame,” is maintained in a lantern along with several back-up lanterns through the torch relay and the Games.
The Paralympic Torch is on the left.
So what’s a back-up lantern? AI says “A backup Olympic flame, typically ignited during rehearsals in Greece using a parabolic mirror, ensures the flame continues if the main ceremony faces cloudy or rainy conditions. This secondary, authentic flame is transported in miner-style safety lanterns to immediately relight any torch that goes out during the relay.” Now we know.
big price tags
The cost of hosting the games rises because of the number of participants, host cities wanting bigger and better games, and security costs in our 9/11 world. Costs also include city improvements and major construction projects (like building Ga. 400 in Atlanta that we frequently drive on), as well as the direct event and sports-related costs.
Over the years, record keeping has changed and funding sources differ, making it more difficult to calculate total costs. Every Olympic Games since 1960 has documented an overrun in costs from initial planned budgets.
Atlanta’s costs were $3,600,000,000. Here are the numbers for other cities.
In the next post we’ll look at what happened in Atlanta during the Civil War, including The Great Locomotive Chase.
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