may 23, 776 BC - Start of the Olympics

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The Olympics as we know today date back to the 8th century. The earliest record of it was when a cook won the 192-meter footrace. Although many people believe that the Olympics are much older than that and were started by Hercules, there is no proof of it. The games were named after the city they were held in, Olympia. The games were held every 4 years, as they are today. In fact, since the games were held every 4 years it helped historians measure time in Ancient Greece.
When the Romans conquered Ancient Greece, it got less popular and was eventually banned. It wasn't until 1,500 years later that it was brought back.

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