The earliest renditions of the Olympics featured a whole lot of running and a whole lot of nudity. Today, there may be a little less nakedness, but running still remains a pillar of the modern Olympic Games. So it’s only fitting that we unpack one of the most bizarre events in the history of the games - the 1904 Marathon in St. Louis. Today on Found Objects, we will also delve into the origins of the games in Ancient Greece and their long awaited return in 1896. You will soon learn that the events may have modernized, but the tradition lives on. Just in time for us to celebrate the start of the 33rd Olympiad!

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SOURCES:

10 Amazing Ancient Olympic Facts, History Channel, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a7vuvHuPic.

Abbott, Karen. “How the 1904 Marathon Became One of the Weirdest Olympic Events of All Time.” Smithsonian.Com, Smithsonian Institution, 7 Aug. 2012, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-1904-marathon-became-one-of-the-weirdest-olympic-events-of-all-time-14910747/.

“Ancient Olympic Games.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 July 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Olympic_Games.

History.com Editors. “First Modern Olympic Games | April 6, 1896.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-modern-olympic-games. Accessed 18 July 2024.

History.com Editors. “The Olympic Games: Locations, Facts, Ancient & Modern.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, 6 Jan. 2010, www.history.com/topics/sports/olympic-games.

Little, Becky. “When Young Ancient Greek Women Raced at Olympia.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, 8 July 2024, www.history.com/news/ancient-greek-girls-women-heraia-race-olympia.

Nelsen, Matt. “Twelve of the Biggest Athletes to Watch at Paris 2024.” Paris 2024, 8 July 2024, olympics.com/en/news/twelve-popular-athletes-ready-to-leave-their-mark-paris-2024.

Olympic History - from the Home of Zeus in Olympia to the Modern Games, International Olympic Committee, olympics.com/ioc/ancient-olympic-games/history. Accessed 18 July 2024.

Sakavitsi, Kalliopi. “The History of the Olympic Games.” Paris 2024, 11 Jan. 2024, olympics.com/en/news/the-history-of-the-olympic-games.

Voigt, Robin. “The Evolution of the Early Olympics*.” International Society of Olympic Historians, isoh.org/cause-view/the-evolution-of-the-early-olympics/. Accessed 18 July 2024.

The hoaxes that you are probably most familiar with today are tied to legends. They are a means to justify an end. Think of the famous grainy photo of the Loch Ness Monster which was falsified to prove the monster's existence. Similarly, think of the sketchy video of Big Foot which was also tampered with to prove that Sasquatch was real. But what of the hoaxes that stand alone? The hoaxes that confuse or mislead even the most intelligent minds. These are where the juicy stories can be found. Today, on Found Objects, I share a story or two (or several lol) about hoaxes that will make you stop in your tracks and consider the validity of even the most seemingly legitimate tales.

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Sources:

“6 Hoaxes People Actually Believed.” YouTube, Mental Floss, 2 Nov. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3x-lsqynRI.

Dardenne, Robert. “Hoax.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/topic/hoax. Accessed 18 June 2024.

Irving, Rob, and Peter Brookesmith. “Crop Circles: The Art of the Hoax.” Smithsonian.Com, Smithsonian Institution, 15 Dec. 2009, www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/crop-circles-the-art-of-the-hoax-2524283/.

Kort, Alicia. “Did Mary Toft Give Birth to Rabbits?” Electric Literature, 26 Nov. 2019, electricliterature.com/did-mary-toft-give-birth-to-rabbits/#:~:text=Now%2C%20in%20Dexter%20Palmer’s%20historical,London’s%20top%20surgeons%20in%201726.

Lyons, Stephen. “The Beast of Loch Ness | Birth of a Legend.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, Nov. 2000, www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lochness/legend.html.

“Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus.” Save The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus, zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/. Accessed 17 June 2024.

Pollock, Niki. “The Curious Case of Mary Toft.” University of Glasgow, Aug. 2009, www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/library/files/special/exhibns/month/aug2009.html.

“Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus.” The Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0010826. Accessed 17 June 2024.

Serena, Katie. “How a Bored Reporter Thought up One of the Greatest Literary Hoaxes of All Time.” All That’s Interesting, All That’s Interesting, 15 Dec. 2017, allthatsinteresting.com/naked-came-the-stranger.

“When Spaghetti Grew on Trees: The BBC’s Legendary April Fools’ Day Hoax.” Royal Examiner, 31 Mar. 2024, royalexaminer.com/when-spaghetti-grew-on-trees-the-bbcs-legendary-april-fools-day-hoax/.

“‘Legend of Bigfoot.’” Washington State Military Department, mil.wa.gov/the-legend-of-bigfoot. Accessed 17 June 2024.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-excess/201705/the-psychology-hoaxing

Did the heiress murder her friend? And, did the butler murder her?!

The historically wealthiest families in the United States may sound familiar to you. Consider the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts, the Waltons, the Hearsts... But, you probably don’t immediately consider the Duke family, who pioneered the Tobacco industry. James Duke’s only daughter Doris Duke was a woman wrought with scandal throughout her life, and today on Found Objects, we will tackle all that AND the mysterious death of Doris’ long-time friend and employee, Eduardo Tirella. This was either the biggest murder cover up of the 1960s, or the most unfortunate case of the wrong place at the wrong time…

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Sources:

“6 Most Frequently Asked Questions about Doris Duke.” Newport Restoration Foundation, 24 Jan. 2024, www.newportrestoration.org/6-most-frequently-asked-questions-about-doris-duke/.

Amore, Samson. “How America’s Most Famous Heiress Got Away with Killing Her Gay Confidant.” Advocate.Com, Advocate.com, 24 Jan. 2024, www.advocate.com/crime/doris-duke-eduardo-tirella#toggle-gdpr.

Colacello, Bob. “Doris Duke’s Final Mystery: Vanity Fair.” Vanity Fair | The Complete Archive, Vanity Fair, 1 Mar. 1994, archive.vanityfair.com/article/1994/3/doris-dukes-final-mystery.

“Doris Duke - Facts, Death & Mansion.” Biography.Com, 2024, www.biography.com/celebrities/doris-duke.

“Duke University’s Endowment and the Duke Endowment.” Giving To Duke, Duke University, 12 Nov. 2020, giving.duke.edu/endowment/duke-universitys-endowment-and-the-duke-endowment/.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “James Buchanan Duke.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 2024, www.britannica.com/money/James-Buchanan-Duke.

Lance, Peter. “The Doris Duke Cold Case Reopens: The Only Known Eyewitness Speaks.” Vanity Fair, 5 Aug. 2021, www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/08/the-doris-duke-cold-case-reopens-eyewitness-speaks.