Greece in 1896. However, gold medals were not awarded at these inaugural Olympics – competitors were instead given a silver medal and an olive branch, while runners-up received a laurel branch ...

On April 6, 1896, the first modern Olympic games began in Athens, Greece with the opening ceremony in the Panathenaic Stadium.

Since competing in Athens in 1896, the United States has ... and Olympians like Michael Phelps, who won 23 gold medals of his own across five Olympic Games. The next closest country to the U.S ...