August 3
On this day in 1936, African-American track & field star Jesse Owens won his first of four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics; edging out his friend Ralph Metcalfe (a future Illinois Congressman) by a tenth of a second, Owens ran the 100 meter in 10.3 seconds. His other victories would come in the 200 meter sprint, long jump and 4 x 100 relay. His magnificent performances frustrated Adolf Hitler, who had planned to use the Games as a showcase for Aryan athletic supremacy.
Over the decades since then, a narrative has emerged that Hitler had snubbed Owens by leaving the stadium before Owens could be awarded his first medal. Hitler indeed wasn’t present for the ceremony, but that had nothing to do with Owens in particular. After initially ignoring all but the German athletes, Hitler had been given a choice by the Olympic Committee to congratulate all winners — regardless of nationality — or none at all; he chose the latter. According to contemporary newspaper reports, however, Hitler did wave at Owens, and Owens responded in kind. Some later (questionable) accounts even maintain that the two actually shook hands and Owens had the photo to prove it.
Whatever his interaction with the Führer, Owens was more disappointed by the reception he received upon returning home. While he was rewarded with the traditional ticker-tape parade (and an anonymous gift of $10,000 in a paper bag), ultimately, his life was much like that of any other black man in Segregation-era America. “When I came back to my native country,” he later recalled, “after all the stories about Hitler, I couldn’t ride in the front of the bus. I couldn’t live where I wanted. I wasn’t invited to shake hands with Hitler, but I wasn’t invited to the White House to shake hands with [FDR], either.” Owens noted on another occasion that the president didn’t even send him a customary congratulatory telegram.
Roosevelt may not have acknowledged Owens’ achievement, but subsequent presidents did; he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Gerald Ford in 1976. Owens died four years later at the age of 66.
Sources: Wikipedia entries for Jesse Owens and 1936 Summer Olympics; ESPN SportsCentury article; article at historynewsnetwork.org; jesseowens.com
