
Berlin’s 1936 Summer Olympics generated a great deal of controversy (we all know how that feels). For Adolf Hitler, the occasion served to further the Nazi party’s doctrine of white supremacy. A number of nations discussed boycotting the Games due to grave worries about the safety of Jewish athletes in addition to moral grounds. However, a few inspirational moments were able to come through. Jesse Owens, an African American sprinter, won four gold medals, and two Japanese athletes established the ‘Medals of Friendship.’
Olympic Pole Vault in 1936
Eighty-five years ago, in front of 25,000 spectators, American pole vaulter Earle Meadows achieved an impressive height of 4.35 meters. That was sufficient to win him an Olympic gold medal in Berlin. Three athletes, Shuhei Nishida of Japan, Sueo Oe of Japan, and American Bill Sefton, contested for second place. The two Japanese men cleared the jump-off height, but Sefton did not. The exact same outcome was obtained by Nishida and Oe, so the final standings were still up in the air. Nishida and Oe steadfastly refused to jump again for the silver, despite the judges’ wishes.
Do you know the story behind the 'medals of friendship'? 🎥https://t.co/oA6a8zGP0z #friendship #Olympic pic.twitter.com/J3VIzx15zg
— Athlete365 (@Athlete365) June 11, 2017
In addition to being elite athletes, the two were also close friends. They therefore asked the Olympic organizers if they could share the silver medal because they respected one another’s abilities. On this occasion, the judges steadfastly declined. The Japanese team was instructed to determine amongst themselves which medal each member should take home.
The Reason for the Dilemma
Nishida would accept the silver, it was decided after some consideration. There are numerous theories explaining how they arrived at this conclusion. The most widely accepted explanation claims that Oe won the bronze medal because he successfully cleared the 4.25-meter jump on his second try, while Nishida did so on his first. Nonetheless, some reports also assert that Nishida’s age played a role in the choice. Oe had reverence for his “senpai,” a person in a higher hierarchical position than he was, usually because of their age, despite being four years younger. Nevertheless, according to other reports, Oe, a student at Keio University, accepted the bronze because, as the younger athlete, he had a better chance of winning gold at the next Olympics and thought it would be better to give Nishida the silver medal. However, all of these theories stand at odds with what the two men did next.
Evidently dissatisfied with the competition’s official results, they resolved to resolve the issue on their own.
Making the Friendship Medals
Nishida and Oe asked a jeweler to cut both medals in half when they got back to Japan. After that, they had the bronze and silver portions fused together to produce two awards they believed more accurately represented their true achievements. A mixed-metal silver-bronze medal for every competitor. Eventually, the two medals were referred to as “the medals of friendship.”
友情のメダルを見ることできました。Do you know about this story??@Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/rFBwWEYhJK
— Koji Murofushi PhD 室伏広治 (@KojiMurofushi) November 27, 2017
It does not imply that they lacked competition. The plan was for Nishida and Oe to rematch at the 1940 Olympics, which was originally scheduled for Tokyo but was eventually rescheduled to Helsinki and eventually canceled entirely when World War II broke out. The two athletes would have had another chance to compete at an Olympics in 1952, but Oe was tragically killed in the conflict. Nishida finally passed away in 1997 from heart failure at the age of 87. The Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF), of which Nishida was the honorary vice chairman, gave Waseda University, where he was a student, his medal of friendship in 2005. It is still there as of right now.
It’s critical to keep in mind that the Olympics have other purposes besides competition. It also represents friendship and tranquility. This tale perfectly captures that.

Irena Sendler: woman who rescued Jews during holocaust
Irene Sendler was the Zegota resistance group's head of the children's department. She risked her life to smuggle children out of the Warsaw ghetto, place them with Polish families or orphanages, give each child a new identity, and keep records so that they could be returned to their families. In 1943, the Gestapo arrested and sentenced her to death, but she was rescued by Zegota.

Remembering the miracles of the 1985 Mexico earthquake (unbelievable stories)
In 1985, after an 8.0 magnitude earthquake hit Mexico City, nearly all newborn babies survived a collapsed hospital. They are known as “Miracle Babies” for surviving 7 days without nourishment, water, warmth or human contact.

10 world’s most destructive and dangerous volcanic eruptions in history
Volcanic eruptions can devastate cities, change the world's atmosphere, and devastate economic systems. They can create molten lava rivers, mudslides, suffocating ash, and poisonous gases that cause chaos around the world for years. A volcanic explosion's effects can be massive, from its size to its death toll to its economic cost. Here is ten world’s most destructive and dangerous volcanic eruptions in history.

The Arabia Steamboat: Unearthing a 19th Century Time Capsule from the Missouri River
The Arabia was a steamboat that sank in the Missouri River in 1856. Over time, the river shifted 800 meters to the east, eventually turning the site of the sinking into a field. The steamboat remained under 45 feet of slit and topsoil until 1988, when it was excavated. The mud, as it turned out, was such a great preserver that most of the artifacts on board were found to be intact. They even found jars of preserved apples that were still edible!

The history of Flour sack clothing fashion
After Kansas mill owners found women reused flour sack materials into apparel in the 1920s and 1930s, they started applying patterned designs to give families with more fashionable patterns and material.

The Horrific story of Ariel Castro and the Cleveland abduction
Cleveland abduction victims Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight, and Amanda Berry were forced to live in Ariel Castro's house of horrors for 10 years. He raped and beat them until they escaped in 2013.

The true story of Annie Oakley, legendary sharpshooter
Anne Oakley was such a good shooter that she could split a playing card help edge-on, hit dimes thrown into the air, shoot cigarette from her husband's lips, and pierce a playing card thrown into the air before it hit the ground.

Mario Segale, Developer Who Inspired Nintendo to Name Super Mario
Super Mario is named after real-life businessman Mario Segale, who was renting out a warehouse to Nintendo. After Nintendo fell far behind on rent, Segale did not evict them but gave them a second chance to come up with the money. Nintendo succeeded and named their main character after him.

Nicholas Winton ‘British Schindler’: Man who rescued 669 Czech children from Nazis
A man named Nicholas Winton saved 669 kids during WWII and lived almost all his life without letting people know.

Max Headroom Incident: America’s Creepiest TV Hack
In 1987 a man hijacked a television station during an episode of Dr. Who and wore a Max Headroom mask and uttered nonsense, and he still hasn’t been caught

Why the Brooklyn Bridge Was Once Crossed by 17 Camels and 21 Elephants
On May 30, 1883, a rumor that the Brooklyn Bridge was going to collapse caused a stampede, which killed at least at twleve people. To prove the bridge was safe, P.T. Barnum led a parade of 21 elephants over it.

The Assassination Of King Alexander
The assassination of King Alexander of Yugoslavia marked a pivotal moment in the country's history. This article delves into the rise and reign of King Alexander, exploring his early life and ascension to the throne. It also examines the political and social climate in interwar Yugoslavia, setting the stage for the tensions and challenges that ultimately culminated in his tragic assassination. By understanding the context in which this event unfolded, we can better grasp the significance and impact it had on the nation and its future.

1972 Andes Plane Crash Survivor recall the terrifying Struggles to Stay Alive
On October 13, 1972, a plane carrying a rugby team from Uruguay crashed in the Andes between Chile and Argentina. The survivors were in brutal conditions - high altitude, bitter cold, and the lack of food—and faced the most terrible choice—eating the frozen flesh of their dead friends or starving to death themselves.

Why was the Eiffel Tower almost demolished
The Eiffel Tower was intended to be a temporary structure for the World's Fair in 1889, but it was nearly dismantled and sold for scrap metal. It was saved because of its potential use as a radio antenna, and it now serves as a tourist attraction as well as a working broadcast tower.

June and Jennifer Gibbons The silent twin who Only Spoke to Each Other
Identical twins June and Jennifer Gibbons were born on 11 April 1963 at a military hospital in Aden, Yemen where their father worked as part of the Royal Air Force.

The mysterious secret of Dr James Barry
Before women were allowed to enroll in medical school, Margaret Ann Bulkley studied medicine and assumed the identity of Dr. James Barry for 56 years while dressing as a man. After 46 years of service as an army doctor officer, her secret was not made public until after her death in 1865.

Why the Word ‘Pen’ Comes from the Latin ‘Penna’ Meaning Feather
The humble word “pen” carries a rich history rooted in ancient times, derived from the Latin word penna, meaning “feather.” Long before modern pens revolutionized writing, feather quills—especially from geese—were the essential tools of scribes, scholars, and artists. This article journeys through the origins of the pen, its evolution, and fascinating trivia about the timeless connection between feathers and writing.

Shizo Kanakuri’s 1912 Olympic Marathon Finished 54 Years
At the 1912 Olympics, a marathon runner quit and went home to Japan without telling officials and was considered a missing person in Sweden for 50 years. In 1966, he was invited to complete the marathon. His time: 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 20.379 seconds.

How Dmitri Mendeleev Developed the periodic table of the elements
1850 Dmitri Mendeleev walked almost a thousand miles to Moscow so he could apply for the University of Moscow. Although he was not accepted, he walked to St. Petersburg where he was accepted, And with that education, he developed the the periodic table of the elements

D.B. Cooper: Man who hijacked a plane and jumped out with a $200,000
On November 22, 1971, DB Cooper hijacked a Boeing 727, drank a whisky, smoked a fag, and then jumped out of the plane with $200,000. He was never again seen.

Underground Railroad to Mexico freed thousands of slaves in 1829
Slavery was abolished in Mexico in 1829. Slaves were escaping to Mexico, and slaveholders in the US were aware of this. The US attempted to get Mexico to sign a fugitive slave treaty, which would have required Mexico to send back escaped slaves to the US. But, Mexico refused, arguing that slaves were free as soon as they set foot on Mexican soil.

What is the story behind Wrigley chewing gum?
Wrigley's was originally a soap company that gifted baking powder with their soap. The baking powder became more popular than the soap so they switched to selling baking powder with chewing gum as a gift. The gum became more popular than the baking powder so the company switched to selling gum.

The touching story of David Vetter (bubble boy), the 'boy who lived in a bubble
David Vetter lived his whole 12 years in sterile “bubble”. He was “outside” for 20 second after being removed from his mother’s womb. He never touched any human.

New London School Explosion, Deadliest school disaster which killed almost 300 children and teachers
In 1937, a gas leak in the basement at the local school in New London, Texas caused a massive explosion which killed almost 300 children and teachers, the deadliest school disaster in US history. Adolf Hitler even sent his condolences by telegram.

Why This Belgian Bar Makes You Trade Your Shoe for a Beer
To prevent tourists from stealing their beer glasses, some bars in Belgium require people to hand over one of their shoes as a deposit which is then put in a basket and hung from the ceiling. These shoe baskets have also become an attraction.