KEY WEST LOU / ANCIENT OLYMPICS

The Olympics are divided into two groups. The Ancient Olympics which began in 776 B.C. and ended in 393 A.D. The Modern Olympics began in 1896. It is the Modern Olympics that we know today. The most recent will be the Paris Olympics which begin July 26th.

Some surprising facts regarding the Ancient Olympics.

All athletes competed naked. Many covered their bodies in oil.

Corporal punishment awaited those guilty of a false start on a track.

Boxers were to avoid attacking the on-display male genitals. Boxing did not have weight classifications nor time limits.

Athletes in combat sports could indicate their surrender by raising their index finger. Some failed to do so and died as a result.

The games a bit different back then. I am not sure why they became unpopular and ceased.

July 16 an historical fact day.

Anti-Semitism disgustingly old. For example, in 1099, the “good” Crusaders drove the Jews of Jerusalem into a synagogue and set it afire.

Pandemics cause procedures to be implemented that hopefully will stop them. Governments initiate means to bring epidemics to an end. In 1439, England banned kissing to stop the spread of the Black Death.

John Adams, second U.S. President and a Founding Father of the U.S., was a Harvard graduate. He graduated in 1755.

One for baseball fans. John McGraw officially became manager of the New York Giants major league  baseball team in 1902. His tenure lasted 30 years till 1932.

On this day in 1940, Adolph Hitler ordered preparations for the invasion of Britain. Known as Operation Sea Lion. As we all know, it failed.

The first test of the detonation of an atomic bomb took place in Alamogordo, New Mexico, as part of the U.S. Manhattan Project. The explosion took place on July 16, 1945.

All good things must come to an end. Like the last Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus under a covered tent. Such occurred this day in 1956.

On this day in 1965, the Mont Blanc Road Tunnel between France and Italy opened. I drove the tunnel many times. It took “forever” and had an intimidating feeling.

One of the U.S.’ greatest Presidents, Ronald Reagan, was nominated for Presidnet by the Republican Party in Detroit this day in 1980.

The Three Tenors, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti, performed in Los Angeles this day in 1994. An estimated 1.3 billion viewers watched worldwide.

On this day in 2018, Donald Trump accepted the word of Russian President Vladimir Putin over U.S. intelligence services about Russia meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, in an interview after the two leaders’ Helsinki Summit. This is an example of things that bother me about Trump. He is to easy to rely on dictators. Seems free to accept their representations to him.

The Trump assassination attempt occurred July 13, 2024.

On July 15, 2024, the Republican Convention sitting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, nominated Donald Trump for President and J.D. Vance for Vice President.

A local item of interest.

A shark bite in Key West waters.

A spear fisherman on a nearby reef was trying to get his catch back to his boat when a bull shark bit him two times in the leg yesterday around 1:40 pm. He was brought to Stock Island from which he was airlifted to a Miami Hospital.

The victim was alert and responsive during the airlift. Nothing further is known, including his identity.

Enjoy your day!

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