Jesse Owens' Olympic Feats

The 1936 Olympics were held in Berlin, Germany, the epicenter of hate and prejudice in the 1930's. But African-American people were not just despised in Germany, but America as well. That's why it's kind of ironic that the U.S. sent an African-American to a Nazi Olympics to not only compete, but to shock the world.

At home, Owens couldn't even drink out of the same water fountains, use the same bathrooms or eat at the same restaurants as his white counterparts. Those luxuries were allowed to him in Germany, but not without the personal disdain of his very being by the host of the games, Adolf Hitler, who considered African people to be non-human. Much to Hitler's dismay, non-human turned out to be the perfect word to describe Owen's performance, who notched four gold medals in 100 meter, 200 meter, long jump and 4x100 relay competition. The crowd in Berlin showered him with praise and the city eventually named a street after him in 1984. Jesse Owens' dominance at the Olympic games not only empowered all African-American peoples, it also undermined Hitler's Aryan ideology. His triumphs are remembered in America and abroad as one of the greatest Olympic performances of all time.