The Olympics, Part 1

Hey everybody! What’s up? In case you missed it (joking) we are in the middle of Summer Olympics 2008!!! Are you excited??? I am!  With this being an athletic time and all, I thought I’d dedicate this week’s post to U.S. Olympic history. 

For starters, The United States has hosted the Summer Olympic Games four times. The last time a U.S. city hosted the games was in 1996 when they were held in Atlanta, Georgia.  The first time was in 1904 in St. Louis, Missouri.  The games were held at Francis Field on the campus of Washington University. 

  

Georgia is the turquoise state (GA) right above Florida. Does everyone remember where Florida is?? If not, go back and check the post http://etauft.blogspot.com.br/2012/07/beach-season.html. (Yes, I know the maps are different colors. I don't want you, my students, to become dependent on a color-coated map to remember where the states are) I believe in you!!

Fun fact of the day: I graduated from Washington University!!! And Francis field is still there.  The bleachers are pretty uncomfortable as they are made of wood.  The university cannot replace them, however, because they are part of a historical landmark.

Lastly, I was curious about the Olympic flag. You know. This one:

(photo courtesy of mapsofworld.com)

In case you were wondering, the five rings represent the five inhabited continents. The colors of each ring (blue, yellow, black, green, and red) represent the colors of all of the countries of the world.  The flag of Brazil for example is blue, green, and yellow. Along those lines, the colors of the flag of the U.S. are red, white, and blue. It's amazing how the simplest designs often say so much!

Well, that's all for the day. Come back next week for the second half of my Olympic discussion and as always, feel free to write or comment!!!