Turners are members of German-American gymnastic clubs called Turnvereine. They promoted German culture, physical culture, liberal politics, and supported the Union war effort during the American Civil War. Turners, especially Francis Lieber, 1798–1872, were the leading sponsors of gymnastics as an American sport and the field of academic study.
The 1904 Summer Olympics were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 29 August to 3 September 1904, as part of an extended sports program lasting from 1 July to 23 November 1904, located 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 of St. Louis, Missouri, eleven gymnastics events were contested for the first time.
At the 1904 Summer Olympics, seven wrestling events were contested, all in the freestyle discipline. It was the first time freestyle wrestling was featured, as the first Olympic wrestling contests had been in the Greco-Roman style. Weight classes also made their first appearance. The sport continues to be in the Olympic program to the present day.
Henrietta Ónodi is a Hungarian artistic gymnast. She competed at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics and won a gold and a silver medal in 1992. After retiring from gymnastics in 1997 she moved to the United States, married American Olympic pentathlete Jimbo Haley, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen. In 2010, she was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
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.
Austria competed at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, United States. Austrian and Hungarian results at early Olympic Games are generally kept separate despite the union of the two nations as Austria-Hungary at the time.
The men's combined was an artistic gymnastics event held as part of the Gymnastics at the 1904 Summer Olympics programme. It was the second time a combined apparatus event was held at the Olympics, though the previous incarnation was more similar to the all-around turnverein featured simultaneously with the combined. The format of the combined, however, was the basis for later all-around type events.
The men's artistic individual all-around was an artistic gymnastics event held as part of the Gymnastics at the 1904 Summer Olympics programme. It was the second time an all-around event was held at the Olympics. The competition was held on Friday, July 1, 1904 and on Saturday, July 2, 1904. One hundred and nineteen gymnasts from three nations competed. The event was won by Julius Lenhart, an Austrian gymnast living in the United States and competing under the auspices of his Philadelphia-based club. Silver went to Wilhelm Weber of Germany, with bronze to Adolf Spinnler of Switzerland. They were the first medals in the event for each of those nations, as France had swept the medals in 1900.
Julius Lenhart was an Austrian gymnast who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. He won two gold medals and one silver medal, making him the most successful Austrian competitor ever at the Summer Olympic Games.
Gustav Gotthardt Tiefenthaler was a Swiss-American wrestler who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. In 1904 he won a bronze medal in light flyweight category. He was born in Switzerland and died in St. Louis, Missouri.
Francis "Frank" Gailey was an Australian-born American competition swimmer who swam in the 1904 Summer Olympics held in St. Louis, Missouri.
Emil Beyer was an American gymnast and track and field athlete who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics.
Orrin Thomas Upshaw was an American tug of war athlete who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. In the 1904 Olympics he won a silver medal as a member of Southwest Turnverein of Saint Louis No. 1 team. He was born in WaKeeney, Kansas and died in St. Louis, Missouri.
Emil Voigt was an American gymnast who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics.
Frank X. Kugler was a German-American wrestler, weightlifter and tug of war competitor who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics.
Rudolf Schrader was an American gymnast who competed at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis. As a member of the Turnverein Vorwärts club he placed seventh in the team all-around and participated in three individual events, his best finish being 68th in the gymnastic triathlon. Born in Germany, Schrader moved to the United States at the age of 15 and worked as a cabinetmaker while training as a gymnast. After the Olympics he joined Sears and remained with them until his retirement at the age of 65. Until he was surpassed by Walter Walsh in March 2013, Schrader was the longest-lived Olympian, having died in January 1981 at the age of 105.
John Henry Dellert, Jr. was an American gymnast who competed at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis. He participated in three individual events, achieving his best result at the Olympics in the men's triathlon, where he finished 30th in a field of 119 competitors. He was also a part of Concordia Turnverein of St Louis' squad for the men's all-around event, which finished 4th out of 13 nations. Born in Missouri, he was working as an upholstery installer by the age of 14 to help support his family and trained in gymnastics in his spare time. He was selected to compete in the 1908 Summer Olympics, but injured himself during an exhibition and was forced to withdraw. He stopped participating in tournaments in 1913, but continued his workouts and routines until he was 46. He died in Boynton Beach, Florida at the age of 100. His brother Charles also competed in gymnastics at the same Olympics.
Andreas Kempf was a Swiss gymnast. He competed in three events at the 1904 Summer Olympics in Missouri.
