This is the event that people all over the world watch, on television or in the arena, this is where gold medals are earned and lost. These are the Olympics. Did you know that unmarried women could attend the ancient Olympics? Or that a person ate paper as a warming food? While outlandish, it's true, and there's so much more to say. Welcome to the Olympics. “May the odds always be in your favor!” - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games. Greece is the origin of the Olympics, plain and simple. The Olympics were traced back to 776 BC, in the 8th century BC. They were supposedly created by Hercules. At first they were held for just one day, but then they were extended in the 7th century BC to three days. In the 5th century BC the games were extended again to last five days. The Olympics continued for almost 12 centuries, until in the 4th century Emperor Theodosius exclaimed that all such "pagan cults" must be banned. In the 8th century the Olympics reappeared. I'm happy they did it. Although ever-changing, the (more recent) ancient Olympics still had some of the same events. They were held for the first time in Olympia and consisted only of foot races. More events were added, starting with wrestling and the pentathlon. (A pentathlon consisted of discus, javelin, jumping, running and wrestling.) In the discus, part of the pentathlon, the discus were different, based on the age, weight and personal preferences of the athletes. When the winners won, they received the prize immediately after the competition. After the herald announced the winner's name, a Hellanodikai (Greek judge) placed a palm branch in the winner's hands, while spectators cheered and threw flowers at him. Red ribbons were tied on his head and hands as a sign of victory...... center of the card...... Retrieved November 26, 2013, from the Olympic.org website: http://www.olympic. org /olympic-games(2013, November 25). Olympic Flame. Retrieved November 25, 2013, from Olympic.org website: http://www.olympic.org/(2013, November 27). The London 2012 Olympic Games open in spectacular style. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from Olympic.org website: http://www.olympic.org/news/london-20123-kicks-off-with-spectacular-opening-ceremony/169583Penn Museum (n.d.). Women: Were the Olympics just for men?. Retrieved November 18, 2013, from The Real Story Of the Olympic Games website: http://www.penn.museum/sites/olympics/olympicsexism.shtmlRoss, S. (2013). Timeline of the Olympics. Retrieved November 19, 2013, from Infoplease website: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/olympicstimeline.htmlWallechinsky, D. & Loucky, J. (2012). The book of Olympic lists. Great Britain: Aurum Press.