Jesse Owens Trivia Questions

His birth name was James Cleveland Owens. When he moved north as a child, his teacher misheard his accent and wrote 'Jesse,' and the name stuck for life.

Owens was never banned from the Olympics. He turned professional in 1936 to make money, which ended his amateur eligibility, but he wasn't formally stripped of medals or banned.

Hitler did not snub Owens; he left the stadium early. The next day, Olympic officials told Hitler to greet all winners or none—he chose none. The snub myth was spread later.

Owens was not given a ticker-tape parade. President Franklin D. Roosevelt never invited him to the White House, and Owens struggled financially after the games.

Owens smoked up to a pack a day for decades. He died in 1980 from lung cancer at 66, a fact often overshadowed by his athletic legacy.

Owens was a lifelong Republican and campaigned for Goldwater, a conservative. This surprised many who assumed he'd support civil rights Democrats, but Owens believed in self-reliance.

At the 1935 Big Ten Championships, Owens equaled the 100-yard dash world record, then set records in the long jump, 220-yard dash, and 220-yard low hurdles in under an hour.

In 1936, Owens raced against a thoroughbred horse named Julio McCaw in Cuba. He won by about 10 yards, though horses are typically faster—the race was a publicity stunt.