1912

[little2add]

 

 

 

This is Jim Thorpe. Look closely at the photo, you can see that he's wearing different socks and shoes. This wasn't a fashion statement. It was the 1912 Olympics, and Jim, an American Indian from Oklahoma represented the U.S. in track and field. On the morning of his competitions, his shoes were stolen. Luckily, Jim ended up finding two shoes in a garbage can. That's the pair that he's wearing in the photo. But one of the shoes was too big, so he had to wear an extra sock. Wearing these shoes, Jim won two gold medals that day. To me, this stands as a reminder that although difficult at times, one should never allow life’s obstacles to stand in your way. Whatever you woke up with this morning; stolen shoes, ill health, failed relationships, don't let it stop you from running your race.

[dUSt]

Is this a true story?

[chrysostom]

True.

[little2add]

What a amazing life.  Information about Thorpe's birth, name and ethnic background varies widely.   He was baptized "Jacobus Franciscus Thorpe" in the Catholic Church.  

 

 

Like Jim Thorp, Another person destroyed racist bigotry during the 1936 games.

American track and field star Jesse Owens made history at the Berlin Olympics in 1936 by winning an unprecedented four gold medals.  Owens' achievement disproved Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's racist theories and continues to serve as an inspiration to American athletes today. 

Hitler hoped to use the 1936 Olympics as a showcase for Nazism and his assertion of a superior white Aryan race.  But it was an American sharecropper's son, Jesse Owens, who provided the ultimate truth.