To celebrate the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics in London, we thought we’d post some historic newspaper stories that report on the final day of the 1908 Olympic Games. The highlight of the 1908 closing ceremony was the special cup presented by Queen Alexandra to the Italian marathon runner, Dorando Pietri. Western Times – Monday 27 July 1908 Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000265/19080727/063/0004 Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser – …

With the men’s Olympic marathon taking place in London this weekend, we thought we’d post some newspaper reports on perhaps the most amazing marathon even to take place at an Olympics – the marathon of the 1908 Games. The reason why this marathon is so famous is due to the collapse of the Italian runner, Dorando Pietri. Leading from the 24 mile mark, it looked as though Pietri would win the race. However, when Pietri arrived in White City Stadium …

The Ryedale Family History Group is holding a Family and Local History Fair in Pickering (north east Yorkshire) on Saturday 18 August, from 10am to 4pm. Family history organisations from all over Yorkshire will be attending the event and experts will be offering free tips and advice to beginners. Everyone is welcome to attend and the admission price is £1 (children under 14 will be admitted for free). – http://www.ryedalefamilyhistory.org/fair2012Pickering.html

If you’re in the Preston area from Saturday the 25th to Monday the 27th  of August, then you might like to attend a family and local history fair that is taking place at the Whitechapel Village Hall in Goosnargh, by Preston. The fair takes place over three days (25, 26 and 27 August) at the following times: – Saturday 25 August:  10am to 7pm – Sunday 26 August:  10am to 7pm – Monday 27 August:  11am to 7pm A number …

With Usain Bolt winning the ‘Blue Riband’ event of the 100 metres at the London Olympics, we thought it’d be the perfect time to post some historical newspaper stories about Harold Abrahams, winner of the event in the 1924 Games, and ‘the Alabama Antelope’, Jesse Owens, who won the event in 1936. There are scores of fascinating stories about Harold Abrahams and Jesse Owens in the Archive. For example, you can read about Abrahams working as a commentator at later …

In all the Olympian excitement, it’s sometimes easy to forget that ‘Tarzan’ won three gold medals in swimming events at the 1924 Olympics in Paris, and two gold medals and one bronze at the 1928 Games in Amsterdam. I refer, of course, to the wonderful Johnny Weissmuller – who was the best ‘Tarzan’ of them all! Weissmuller was actually born in Pardany in Hungary in June 1904, but his parents emigrated to the USA in 1904. Ironically, only took up …

We love reading stories about Eric Liddell in the Archive. We think that the two newspaper reports included below offer a fascinating insight into his wonderful triumph at the 1924 Olympics and his life shortly afterwards. Liddell had been entered to run in the 100m (his best event), but the devout Christian decided not to race in the 100m as the heats took place on a Sunday. As the timetable for the Games had been published several months in advance, …