The last Olympic gold medals that were made entirely out of gold were awarded in 1912.

The United States has won more medals (2,189) at the Summer Games than any other country.

Aerodynamic - ancient Olympic athletes competed in the buff.

The five Olympic rings represent the five major regions of the world – Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceana, and every national flag in the world includes one of the five colors, which are (from left to right) blue, yellow, black, green, and red.

Women were first allowed to participate in 1900 at the second modern Olympic Games.

During the first several modern Olympics, the marathon was always an approximate distance. In 1908, the British royal family requested that the marathon start at Windsor Castle so that the royal children could witness its start. The distance from Windsor Castle to the Olympic Stadium was 42,195 meters (or 26 miles and 385 yards). In 1924, this distance became the standardized length of a marathon.

In 1900, in France, winners received paintings instead of gold medals. Gold, silver and bronze medals weren't given out until the third modern Olympics, in 1904

In 1921, Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, borrowed a Latin phrase from his friend, Father Henri Didon, for the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius ("Swifter, Higher, Stronger").

There's a 62-year age difference between the oldest and youngest Olympians ever. The youngest Olympian ever was Dimitrios Loundras, a Greek gymnast in the 1896 Athens Olympics. He was 10. The oldest Olympian ever was Oscar Swahn, a Swedish shooter in the 1920 Antwerp, Belgium, Olympics. He was 72.

Tug-Of-War was once an Olympic sport and was part of the track and field athletics program. Two teams stand on opposite sides of a line in a giant sandbox. All members of the team grab the rope and when the event begins you pull as hard as possible in an attempt to pull your opponents across the line. If you pull one member of their team across the line, you win; basically a giant brute strength competition. Tug-Of-War was an active event in the Olympics in the following years: 1900, 1904, 1906 (Intercalated Games), 1908, 1912, 1920.