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1936

A Little Known Fact About the Olympic Torch Relay

on Thu, 07/26/2012 - 22:53

On May 12, 2012 the iconic first step in the Olympics began in Greece at the Temple of Hera in Olympia; with the first leg of the famous torch relay. On Friday, July 27th the world will watch as the final torch bearer completes their run through London, enters the Olympic Stadium, and lights the Olympic flame. However, what many don't know is that this well-regarded tradition actually began in 1936 at the direction of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich on behalf of the Berlin Olympics.

Now there is no question that the ancient Greeks ran relay races using flames, but this was not done as an integral