The modern Olympic Games had only just begun when, in 1904, they crossed the Atlantic and arrived in the United States for the very first time. Hosted in St. Louis, Missouri, the 1904 Summer Olympics were a mix of pioneering moments, strange stories, and serious growing pains.
Tied to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (better known as the 1904 World’s Fair), the St. Louis Games were as chaotic and colorful as the fair itself. Though far from perfect, these Olympics left a unique mark on sporting history—and included some of the strangest and most dramatic moments ever seen at the Games.
Why St. Louis?
Originally, the 1904 Olympics were scheduled to be held in Chicago. But St. Louis, already preparing for the massive World's Fair to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase, didn’t want to be overshadowed.
After political and financial pressure, the Games were moved to St. Louis and folded into the World’s Fair—just like Paris had done in 1900. Unfortunately, this meant the Olympics once again became a sideshow, and many events were poorly organized, under-attended, or misunderstood.
The First Olympics on American Soil
Despite the issues, the 1904 Olympics were historic:
- It was the first time the Olympics were held in the United States.
- It introduced the first official use of gold, silver, and bronze medals for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
- For the first time, athletes competed in a dedicated stadium: Francis Field at Washington University in St. Louis.
The event stretched over several months (July to November) and featured about 650 athletes, of whom only 62 were from outside North America—due to the long, expensive trip and ongoing war in Russia (Russo-Japanese War).
The Events and Highlights
The Games featured 16 sports and 95 events. Many sports were still in their early forms, and some results remain disputed today. Here are a few notable features:
🥇 Gymnastics and Track & Field Dominate
Ray Ewry, who had also competed in 1900, defended his titles and added more in standing high jump and standing long jump—two now-discontinued events.
The United States dominated, winning 239 out of the 280 total medals. This was partly due to the low international turnout.
🥇 Marathon Mayhem
The 1904 Olympic marathon is one of the strangest and most controversial races in Olympic history.
- The course was dusty, poorly marked, and dangerously hot (over 90°F or 32°C).
- Runners encountered wild dogs, cars on the course, and barely any water.
- Fred Lorz crossed the finish line first but was disqualified after it was discovered he hitched a ride in a car for part of the race.
- Thomas Hicks, the actual winner, was barely conscious at the finish—having been given brandy and strychnine (a poison!) as a stimulant by his trainers.
It was an Olympic event that felt more like a survival challenge.
Controversial "Anthropology Days"
One of the darkest and most criticized parts of the 1904 Olympics was the so-called “Anthropology Days.”
These were not official Olympic competitions, but events organized during the fair where Indigenous people and other non-Western participants were made to compete in games for the amusement of spectators—supposedly to compare the “athletic ability of primitive peoples” to Western athletes.
Today, this episode is widely condemned as racist and dehumanizing, and it stands as a reminder of how cultural bias and pseudoscience once shaped public events.
The Legacy of the 1904 Games
Despite the chaos, the 1904 Olympics left behind several important legacies:
- The medal tradition (gold, silver, bronze) started here and became the Olympic standard.
- It helped introduce the Olympic Games to a wider American audience.
- It marked the beginning of American Olympic dominance in many sports, especially track and field.
However, due to its lack of international participation and poor organization, many historians consider St. Louis one of the most flawed Olympics—but also one of the most fascinating.
Conclusion: A Wild Chapter in Olympic History
The 1904 St. Louis Olympics were a strange mix of progress and missteps. Held at a time when the Olympic movement was still in its infancy, they reflected both the ambition and the confusion of trying to create a truly international sports festival.
From marathon madness to medal milestones, the first U.S. Olympics remain a story of bold beginnings, bizarre moments, and big lessons—a reminder of how far the Games have come.
