The 1904 Summer Olympics were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 1 July to 23 November 1904. Many events were conducted at what is now known as Francis Field on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. This was the first time that the Olympic Games were held outside Europe.
At the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, six archery events were contested, of which three were men's and three were women's competitions. 23 men and 6 women constituted the field. As was common in early Olympic archery, the events held in 1904 had little resemblance to the previous edition's events. The events were formally named the 26th Grand Annual Target Meeting of the National Archery Association. While open to international entrants, no foreign competitors entered. Team archery was introduced at these Games, as was women's archery. The medalists were the same for both men's individual events and both women's individual events. Howell, an early pioneer of women's archery, finished with three gold medals as she was a member of the only women's team to appear in the records.
At the 1904 Summer Olympics, seven boxing events were contested, with the sport making its Olympic debut. The competitions were held on Wednesday, September 21, 1904 and on Thursday, September 22, 1904. Contestants in lighter weight classes could also compete in heavier classes. Oliver Kirk, winning the bantamweight and featherweight categories, thus became the only boxer to have won two gold medals in the same Olympics. George Finnegan, Harry Spanjer and Charles Mayer won one gold and one silver medal.
At the 1904 Summer Olympics, in St. Louis, diving debuted as an official two-event Olympic sport. The competitions were held on Monday, 5 September 1904 and on Wednesday, 6 September 1904. It included the only Olympic appearance of the plunge for distance event.
Men's association football (soccer) was contested at the 1904 Summer Olympics. A total of three club teams competed, two representing the United States, both from host city St. Louis, and one representing Canada, from Galt, Ontario. Originally, two other Canadian teams had also been entered in the competition, Berlin Rangers and the University of Toronto, but both withdrew before the draw.
At the 1904 Summer Olympics of St. Louis, Missouri, eleven gymnastics events were contested for the first time.
At the 1904 Summer Olympics, nine swimming events were contested. The 1904 swimming competition was the only time in Olympic history that racing distances were measured in yards. The competition was held September 4–6, 1904. There was a total of 32 participants from 5 countries competing. The 10 events at the swimming competitions were held at a man-made lake that was used for life-saving exhibitions by the coast guard.
A tug of war competition was held August 31 and September 1 at Francis Field in St. Louis, Missouri, as part of the 1904 Summer Olympics. Thirty athletes participated from six teams across three countries, and six games were played. Four American teams took the top four places, followed by Greek and South African teams unplaced.
The 1904 Summer Olympics were held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States from July 1 to November 23, 1904, as part of the St. Louis World's Fair.
Canada competed at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, United States. These Games were the second at which Canadian athletes participated. As in 1900 they did not compete under the Canadian flag, national teams not being introduced until the next Olympics. Unofficially, however, it was a very successful Olympics for Canada with Canadian competitors winning the fourth most medals. However, this was largely because most Europeans decided not to make the long trip to compete in the games. The Canadian athletes were a unified group for the first time and were unofficially regarded as a team.
The United States hosted the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri. American athletes won a total of 231 medals, setting a record for the most medals won at a single Olympics that still stands today.
George Louis Eyser was a German-American gymnast who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics, earning six medals in one day, including three gold and two silver medals. Eyser competed with a wooden prosthesis for a left leg, having lost his leg after being run over by a train. Despite his disability, he won gold in the vault, an event which then included a jump over a long horse without aid of a springboard.
William Russell van Horn was an American lightweight boxer who competed in the early twentieth century. He was born in Pennsylvania and died in Wickenburg, Arizona.
Frank Joseph Floyd was an American lightweight and welterweight boxer who competed in the early twentieth century.
The lightweight was the median boxing weight class held as part of the Boxing at the 1904 Summer Olympics programme. The competition was held on Wednesday, September 21, 1904 and on Thursday, September 22, 1904. It was the first time the event, like all other boxing events, was held in Olympic competition. Lightweights had to be less than 61.2 kilograms. Eight boxers competed.
The welterweight was the third heaviest boxing weight class held as part of the boxing programme at the 1904 Summer Olympics. The competition was held on Wednesday, September 21, 1904 and on Thursday, September 22, 1904. It was the first time the event, like all other boxing events, was held in Olympic competition. Welterweights had to be less than 65.8 kilograms. Four boxers competed.
The men's individual was an event held as part of the golf programme at the 1904 Summer Olympics. It was the second time the event was held at the Olympics, though it took a much different format than the 1900 golf tournament. 75 golfers from two nations competed. The competition was held approximately 5.75 km north of the Olympic Stadium at Glen Echo Country Club from September 19 to September 24, 1904. The event was won by George Lyon of Canada, one of three golfers not from the host United States. Lyon defeated American Chandler Egan in the final, giving Egan the silver medal. Americans Burt McKinnie and Francis Newton were the defeated semifinalists, each receiving bronze.
George Herbert Sheldon was an American diver who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics and won the inaugural platform diving competition.
Peter Johnson Sturholdt was an American boxer who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. Sturholdt was born in Red Wing, Minnesota. In 1904, he finished fourth in the lightweight class after losing the bronze medal fight to Russell van Horn.
George Bryant (USA)
