The 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin were designed to deliver a propaganda coup for the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler. The games would highlight the alleged superiority of the Aryan race in physical competition.
Apparently, the Nazis didn’t count an African-American athlete spoiling their ambitions.
Jesse Owens took home an astounding four gold medals in track and field events including the long jump, the 100-meter, the 200-meter and the 4x100-meter relay race.
Although Hitler apparently bristled at the idea of a black man, Owens himself was more put off by the lack of acknowledgment for his victories in the United States. Hitler had sent Owens a commemorative photo of his victories, but Owens didn’t receive so much as a telegram from the White House under President Franklin D. Roosevelt congratulating him on his victories.
via (x)
(Source: Wikipedia)
