Going for gold, the athlete attempts to get over the bar during the High Jump at the 1896 Olympics
Today in 1896, the Olympic games return in Athens after being banned 1,500 years earlier. The new modern games saw 280 athletes from 13 nations compete in 43 different events. The events were made up of those that are commonly seen today such as track-and-filed as well as swimming. Pierre de Coubertin would become the International Olympic Committee in 1896 and played a large role in guiding the Olympic through their earl years. By 1924 the Olympics would receive relative success, hoisting more than 3,00 athletes. The games in Paris saw 44 nations and even more than 100 women take part. In the following years the Olympics would only grow, having over 11,000 athletes from more than 202 countries in 2004.
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