The Greatest 45 Minutes in Sports History
![Jesse Owens gets into his stride at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin](https://www.onthisday.com/images/articles/jesse-owens.jpg)
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Historical Events
Jesse Owens Wins Gold
American sprinter Jesse Owens wins the 100m (10.3 seconds) in front of Adolf Hitler in a famous race at the Berlin Olympics, first of 4 gold medals at the Games
- Karl Hein (56.49 Olympic record) and Erwin Blask make it a German 1-2 in the hammer throw at the Berlin Olympics
Famous Birthdays
- Edward Petherbridge, English actor (The Guardians), born in West Bowling, Bradford, Yorkshire, England
- Vinko "Vice" Vukov, Croatian singer (Eurovision Song Contest 1963 & 1965), born in Šibenik, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (d. 2008)
1936 Highlights
About August 3, 1936
Day of the Week: Monday
How Long Ago? 87 years, 11 months and 3 days
Leap Year: Yes
Generation: Silent Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Rat
Star Sign: Leo