- Madame Tussauds Berlin, Golden 20's
Facts about Jesse Owens
James Cleveland Owens was an American track and field athlete and the youngest of ten children. He got his nickname "Jesse" from a teacher who didn't understand his accent and turned "J.C." into "Jesse".
On May 25, 1935, he set five world records in 45 minutes at a University of Michigan sports festival, despite having suffered a back injury a day earlier. On that day, he set a record of 8.13m in the long jump, which remained unbeaten for 25 years.
Due to discrimination against minorities such as Jewish and black people, Jesse Owens initially did not want to participate in the 1936 Olympics in Germany. However, his coach was able to convince him to participate and Owens shined at the Olympics with numerous records and four gold medals.
He received little recognition for his athletic achievements, both in Nazi Germany and in the racially divided United States. He ended his athletic career at the age of 23 and then financed himself through various self-employed activities, for example as the conductor of a jazz band. At the age of 66, he died of lung cancer after being a chain smoker for 35 years.
