Sarah Peet of the Informal Learning Office contributed research for this post.
On Saturday, July 20th, the Library of Congress’ Informal Learning Office (ILO) hosts its latest monthly, in-person family program. July’s Family Day highlights the Olympics in recognition of the 2024 Summer Games from July 26th to August 11th, and the Paralympic Games from August 28th to September 8th in Paris, France.
Visit Us in Person
If you’re in the area, stop by the Thomas Jefferson Building to celebrate the Games. Activities during the drop-in program (10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) are designed for kids and their families, but all ages are welcome. The event is free of charge; however, you will need to obtain free building passes. Registering in advance is the best way to guarantee entry at a time of your choosing, although a limited number of walk-up tickets are available daily. Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at 202-707-6363 or by emailing [email protected].
On Family Day, you’ll be able to:
- make your own Olympic poster, taking inspiration from examples in the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division
- honor your favorite athletic hero with a contribution to a communal wall of fame
- take home a sports-themed bingo card to continue the fun as you watch the Games in Paris
- chat with Family Day staff about how sports feature in the Library’s Jefferson Building and in the collections
- explore the Not An Ostrich exhibition to see sporting images from the collections, including 5-time Olympic medal winner Duke Kahanamoku
- see baseball cards and box scores in the Mechanics of Memories section of Collecting Memories exhibition
- check out a display about the modern Games, including items from the 1924 Summer Olympics, also held in Paris
Families can also explore how the Olympics, Paralympics and athletes in general are represented in Library collections. Those featured on the Family Day wall of fame include:
- Jim Thorpe, a Native American all-around athlete who won gold medals in the 1912 Stockholm Olympic decathlon and pentathlon and was a successful professional football and basketball player. Contemporary newspapers outline his accomplishments and the challenges he faced.
- Jesse Owens won four gold track and field gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, disproving Nazi racial theories as he did so. Find out more in this blog post.
- Gertrude Ederle, winner of three freestyle swimming medals in the 1924 Paris Games. She and other female swimmers and divers on the 1924 Olympic teams were the focus of a newspaper article in March 1924. Ederle also swam the English Channel.
Athlete Jesse Owens, in an untitled photo of the American Olympic “Flyer” in London, 1936.
Join In from Home
If you can’t attend the July 20th program in person, you can still participate! Keep reading for additional resources to explore Games-related Library of Congress collections from home.
- Digitized books about the Olympics show how much the Games have changed since the early 1900s. Look through examples from 1906, 1920 and 1924 to see what athletes wore and which sports were included.
- Issues of “Able” Magazine provide coverage of the Paralympic Games and Special Olympics since 2007.
- Army Veteran James E. Rutherford speaks about participating in the Paralympic Games in his oral history for the Library’s Veterans History Project. Watch from 18:14 – 25:25 to hear his story.
- This research guide helps navigate the many prints and photographs of Summer and Winter Games in the collections. Modern day athletes like Usain Bolt, Gail Devers and Michael Phelps are included, along with historic Winter Games images such as the 1932 bobsled team, a figure skater in 1956, and a ski jumper competing in 1976. Examples from the 1964, 1976 and 1984 Summer Games show differing styles used in Olympic posters.
- Library blog posts provide a wealth of information about past Olympic competitions. Topics covered include:
- Sprinter and civil rights activist Tommie Smith at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics
- Gretchen Fraser, Andrea Mead Lawrence, and Penelope Pitou, women who won the first three American Olympic skiing medals
- A comparison of the London Olympic Games in 1908 and 1912
- Japan’s participation in the Olympics
- The United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum™ provides a comprehensive picture of American athletes’ participation in the Games
We hope you enjoy watching the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, from the opening to the closing ceremonies and everything in between. If you’re in Washington D.C. on July 20th, stop by Family Day and join in the fun!