# The First London Olympics: 1908

Canonical: https://www.bookquiver.com/rebecca-jenkins/the-first-london-olympics-1908

![The First London Olympics: 1908](https://quivercdn.com/covers/piatkus/rebecca-jenkins/the-first-london-olympics-1908_978-07-4992-940-4.jpg?v=2026-05-19%2012%3A10%3A05)

- Authors: [Rebecca Jenkins](https://www.bookquiver.com/rebecca-jenkins)
- Language: en_GB
- Published: 2011-08-25

## Description

In the summer that saw the first successful flight of the Zeppelin, a 140 acre site of scrubland in West London was transformed into the White City, which housed the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition - and a state-of-the-art stadium built to house the first London Olympics. The Olympics were organised by volunteers in just 18 months and at a fraction of the cost of the modern Olympics and yet, just as today, the sport was overshadowed by doping scandals and caused international uproar. The ferocious competitiveness of a US team dominated by New York Irish Americans led to a succession of 'scandals' culminating in the historic marathon when Italian confectioner baker Dorando Pietri's heroic efforts at the limits of exhaustion so entranced on-lookers that track officials helped him across the finish line. Coinciding with the 100th Anniversary of the first London Olympics, this delightful social and sporting history - illustrated with over 70 contemporary images - provides a thought-provoking contrast to the forthcoming 2012 Olympic Games.

## Editions

### The First London Olympics: 1908

- Publisher: piatkus
- ISBN: 978-07-4992-940-4
- Pages: 1
- Published: 2012-05-03
- Language: en_GB

### The First London Olympics: 1908

- Publisher: piatkus
- Medium: ebook
- ISBN: 978-07-4813-138-9
- Published: 2011-08-25
- Language: en_GB