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14 Olympics Moments That Shook the World

From politics and ideology to humour, courage and tragedy, here's a look at the events that left indelible marks on the Olympic Games (15 Photos)

iVillage UK & Victoria Kang on Jun 12, 2012 at 1:21PM

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14 Olympics Moments That Shook the World

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Jesse Owens, Berlin, 1936

The 1936 Olympics were held in Berlin, Germany, just as Adolf Hitler was readying himself for war, and the Nazi leader attempted to use the event as a tool to promote his ideology. African American Jesse Owens rained on his parade, however, by winning four gold medals, including the marquee event, the 100 meters.

Having seen their Ayran superiority theories blown out of the water, Nazi officials claimed that because black people have "abnormally large animal heel bones," the U.S. team had cheated by selecting Owens. It was reported that Hitler refused to shake Owens' hand afterwards.