Jesse Owens Medals 1936

Photo legend history

Jesse Owens - Known as “The Buckeye Bullet,” Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics. Adolf Hitler expected the Games to be a showcase of Aryan supremacy, but the United States won 11 gold medals, six of which were won by African-American athletes, and four of which were won by Owens. The defeat in his home city was an embarrassment for Hitler and cemented Owens into history. Though he was not met at home by fanfare at the time, he was eventually awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976. (via Sports Illustrated)