On August 9, 1936, the American athlete won his fourth gold medal at the Olympic Games in Berlin.
He earned gold medals in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 4x100-meter relay, and the long jump. With this feat, he became the first American to win four medals in one Olympiad:
Of course, Adolf Hitler was privately pissed about Mr. Owens' performance, because it undermined his Nazi views that whites were athletically superior. After Mr. Owens' success, the German leader started claiming that it was "primitive genes" that explained black success at the Games.
Jesse Owens' reception when he returned home to the United States of America was foul: From Wikipedia: "After a New York City ticker-tape parade of Fifth Avenue in his honor, Owens had to ride the freight elevator at the Waldorf-Astoria to reach the reception honoring him. Owens said, 'Hitler didn't snub me – it was FDR who snubbed me. The president didn't even send me a telegram.' On the other hand, Hitler sent Owens a commemorative inscribed cabinet photograph of himself [in addition to greeting Owens after the 100-meter dash, contrary to popular opinion]. Jesse Owens was never invited to the White House nor were honors bestowed upon him by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) or his successor Harry S. Truman during their terms. In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower honored Owens by naming him an 'Ambassador of Sports.'"
8/9 Flashback Video Of The Day: Jesse Owens, 1936
