The 1936 Summer Olympics began in Berlin, Germany on 1 August 1936.
Germany had been named the host country in 1931, and when Adolf Hitler assumed power in 1933 there had been talk about moving the games, but when Hitler assured the Olympic Committee that Jewish athletes would not be excluded (the official Nazi newspaper had written that Jews and blacks should banned from competition), the matter was dropped (Germany did kick off Jewish and Roma athletes from its own team. Helene Mayer, who had won a gold medal in the 1928 Olympics, had fled Germany in 1935 due to Jewish persecution, but returned to fence for Germany and won a silver medal. Meyer gave the Nazi salute during the medal ceremony and believed her actions might have protected her family members who were labor camps).
There was pressure on the US to boycott the games, but the head of the American Olympic Committee, Avery Brundage reported that German Jews were not being mistreated (gold medalist Lillian Copeland - "the most successful female discus thrower in U.S. history"- accused Brundage of "deliberately concealing the truth" about the Nazi's treatment of Jews and refused to participate in the games).
Hitler intended to use the Olympics to promote fascism and his "superior" race of athletes. The Hindenburg flew over the Olympic Stadium on 1 August and Richard Strauss conducted the Olympic Hymn (which he composed), making its premiere.
Basketball almost made its premiere at the games, with the United States defeating Canada 19-8 to win the gold.
Germany did in fact win the most medals, by a large margin, with 89 total (33 gold), with the US coming in 2nd with 56 total medals (24 gold), but the 1936 Olympics is most-rememberd (at least in the US) for the achievements of Jesse Owens, who won 4 gold medals - in the 100 m, 200 m, long jump, and 4×100 m relay (Owens and Ralph Metcalfe replaced the only 2 Jewish athletes on the team, sprinters Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller on the morning of the 4x100 race. Owens spoke in favor of letting Stoller and Glickman run, saying, "Coach, I've won my 3 gold medals. I'm tired. I've had it. Let Marty and Sam run, they deserve it. His coach told him, "You'll do as your told.").
