360What happened in 1896?
10 moments from 1896 on 360n60, each told in 60 words or fewer.
- History · 6–15 April 1896
The first modern Olympic Games open in Athens
In April 1896, the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, revived by the French educator Pierre de Coubertin. About 240 athletes from 14 countries competed in 43 events. The Olympics have since grown into the world's largest sporting event, held every four years.
- On this day · 6 April 1896
The first modern Olympic Games open in Athens
On 6 April 1896, the first modern Olympic Games opened in Athens, Greece, inspired by the French educator Pierre de Coubertin. About 240 athletes from 14 nations took part in nine sports. The marathon was won by a Greek water carrier, Spyridon Louis.
- On this day · 16 August 1896
Gold is found in the Klondike
On 16 August 1896, gold was found at Bonanza Creek, near the Klondike River in northwest Canada. When news reached the outside world the next year, about 100,000 people set off for the region in the Klondike Gold Rush, though only a small number became rich.
- 1896 · from The first Nobel Prizes are awarded
Alfred Nobel dies
- 1896 · from Marconi receives the first radio signal across the Atlantic
Marconi patents his wireless system in Britain
- 1896 · from The 19th century: railways, electricity and the modern world
First modern Olympic Games
- 1896 · from Marie and Pierre Curie discover polonium and radium
Becquerel discovers radioactivity in uranium
- 1896 · from Wilhelm Röntgen discovers X-rays
X-rays used in hospitals
- 1896 · from The Lumière brothers hold the first public cinema show
Lumière films are shown around the world
- 1896 · from The 1890s: X-rays, cinema and the Olympic Games reborn
First modern Olympic Games