Episode 6: The 1904 Olympics

1904 was an eventful year for the city of St. Louis, Missouri: the St. Louis Zoo opened its doors, the World’s Fair was held to celebrate the centenary of the Lousiana Purchase, and somehow the small city found itself being thrust onto the world stage, as the host of one of the most bizarre events in sporting history.

“I had a sort of presentiment that the Olympiad would match the mediocrity of the town” - Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic movement

Hosting the Olympic games is usually considered a pretty huge deal. In recent years, they have been meticulously organised by committes on a national scale, showcasing the finest professional athletes from hundreds of countries across the world. London 2012 even had its own horrifying mascots, but we try not to talk about that. The 1904 St. Louis Olympics had none of that.

The fact that the Olympic committee originally awarded the 1904 games to Chicago by unanimous vote, yet were somehow convinced to let a small city in southern Missouri host instead, was just the first of many baffling events which would come to be associated with the third Olympic Summer games.

Join us in this episode of The Gallimaufry as we travel back to a time when brick layers ran marathons and strychnine was known for its performance-enhancing properties, and discuss one of the strangest years for the modern Olympic games.

Sources

1. The Varsity. ‘A History of Sport in France’, 12 February 2018. https://thevarsity.ca/2018/02/11/a-history- of-sport-in-france/.
2. Abbott, Karen. ‘The 1904 Olympic Marathon May Have Been the Strangest Ever’. Smithsonian Magazine. Accessed 21 January 2021. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-1904-olympic-marathon- may-have-been-the-strangest-ever-14910747/.
3. Andrews, Evan. ‘8 Unusual Facts About the 1904 St. Louis Olympics’. HISTORY. Accessed 24 January 2021. https://www.history.com/news/8-unusual-facts-about-the-1904-st-louis-olympics.
4. Lee, Robert. ‘The True Cost of the Louisiana Purchase’. Slate, 1 March 2017. http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history/2017/03 /how_much_did_the_louisiana_purchase_actually_cost.html?via=gdpr-consent.
5. Lucas, Charles J P. The Olympic Games, 1904. St. Louis, Mo. Woodward & Tieran Printing Co.., 1905.
6. Mallon, Bill. The 1904 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary, 2009. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=1026654.
7. Martin, David E., and Roger W. H. Gynn. The Olympic Marathon. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2000.
8. Mercer, Derrik. Chronicle of the 20th Century. Longman, 1988.
9. International Olympic Committee. ‘Olympic Medals – History, Design & Photos’, 10 November 2020. https://www.olympic.org/olympic-medals.
10. International Olympic Committee. ‘Pierre de Coubertin: Visionary and Founder of the Modern Olympics’, November 2020. https://www.olympic.org/pierre-de-coubertin.
11. Posey, Carl. III Olympiad: St. Louis 1904, Athens 1906 (The Olympic Century). Vol. 4. Warwick Press Inc., 2015.
12. ‘St. Louis 1904’. Accessed 21 January 2021. https://www.teamgb.com/competitions/st-louis-1904/3dHUQMzc0aOUJ4TFYkpm5l.
13. International Olympic Committee. ‘St Louis 1904 Summer Olympics – Results & Video Highlights’, 30 November 2020. https://www.olympic.org/st-louis-1904.
14. ‘The 1904 Olympics Was Messed Up, This Is Why – YouTube’. Accessed 13 January 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXJ1athZrUU.
15. Paris 2024. ‘The History of the Olympic Games’, 24 February 2020. https://www.paris2024.org/en/history-of-olympic-games/.
16. International Olympic Committee. ‘Who Was Pierre de Coubertin? – History and Origin of the Games – FAQ’, 14 January 2021. https://www.olympic.org/faq/history-and-origin-of-the-games/who-was-pierre- de-coubertin.