Born to parents who were half Native American, and brought up in the Sac and Fox Nation in Oklahoma under the name Wa-Tho-Huk, which means “Bright Path”, Thorpe played a number of sports at the highest level through to the late 1920s. A multi-talented sportsman, Thorpe played baseball for the Rocky Mount club in North Carolina in 1909 and 1910, receiving small payments for each appearance he made. I am glad you found it interesting. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jim-thorpe-begins-olympic-triathlon. Among them was George Patton, who went on to become a General of the U.S. Army during World War II. On the final day of competition, Thorpe placed third and fourth in the events in which he was most inexperienced, the pole vault and javelin. Whoever that person on the viral call may be, you should know Canadian medical organizations have released statements refuting his comments. They also captured the hearts of not only America but the world. Thorpe won four out five events in the pentathlon, taking the gold medal with ease, before moving onto the three-day decathlon, which is comprised of 10 events in all the major track and field disciplines. It was the 1912 Olympics, and Jim, an American Indian from Oklahoma represented the U.S. in track and field. The Olympics Committee had found out that Thorpe had been paid for the baseball games he had played in. Another reason for my interest in Jim, is that he is American Indian. This is a perfect reminder that you don’t have to resign to the excuses that have held you back. The synchronized suicide bombings, which were thought to be the work of al-Qaida, killed 56 people including the bombers and injured another ...read more, President Ronald Reagan nominates Sandra Day O’Connor, an Arizona court of appeals judge, to be the first woman Supreme Court justice in U.S. history. At the time, Thorpe, a Native American who … It’s truly remarkable how one man can do all these things, yet his greatness is never heralded in this day and age. ...read more, Mary Surratt is executed by the U.S. government for her role as a conspirator in Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. He placed first in four of them, dusting his competition in the 1,500-meter run by almost five seconds. Tewanima finished ninth in the marathon. Devika Primić from Dubrovnik, Croatia on February 25, 2014: A very interesting read on Jim Thorpe and Louis Tewanima most of what I had no idea of.I learned from this hub. Jim Thorpe had his gold medals from the 1912 Olympics revoked because he violated a rule by playing minor league baseball. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. Tewanima came up right behind him capturing the silver in the 10,000 meters race. But what happens after the Games leave? Frank, thank you so much. It was a refresher read for me but so well worth it :). Glen Scobey "Pop" Warner and Carlisle Indians, 1903. Take a look at some of the history and trivia associated with the Olympic Games. Thorpe participated in 15 events during the 1912 Summer Games and won eight of them, leading to his capturing gold medals in both the pentathlon and decathlon. Hopi runners were used to running to and from the enemy country to spy and retrieve items of personal use for their ceremonial fires, to weaken the enemy. I hope you liked it. Being a part of an international event is a lifelong memory. By 1917, large numbers of women were already ...read more, For the first time in history, women are enrolled into the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. The 814 soldiers were the first of 25,000 troops that were withdrawn in the first stage of the U.S. disengagement from the war. An image purportedly showing Jim Thorpe, the first Native American athlete to win an Olympic gold medal for the United States, wearing a pair of mismatched shoes is frequently shared on social media. I think it would have been restored long ago. This guide covers 11 amazing facts about the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, as well as everything you need to know about the Winter Olympics in general. The Olympic Gold Medals were gone, but, it was love for the sport and the opportunity to compete and make his homeland proud that Jim cherished and played for. He didn’t even know he could take a running start while throwing a javelin, so he just stood there and launched it. According to Wheeler, Thorpe’s shoes went missing a few minutes before the start of the 1500-meter race portion of the decathlon. At the 2016 Summer Games, Olympic champion Ashton Eaton of the United States ran that same race in 4 minutes, 23.33 seconds while wearing a modern track suit and spikes on a pristine course. He spent two seasons (1922–23) with the Oorang Indians, whose owner attracted crowds by having Thorpe and his teammates dress up and perform “Indian” tricks before games and at halftime. In 1920–21 he served as the first president of the American Professional Football Association (later the National Football League [NFL]). After 1921 Jim organized, coached and played with the Oorang Indians, a professional football team of Native Americans. Over the next five years, a total of 21,000 men would work ceaselessly to produce what would be the largest dam of its time, as well as one of the largest manmade structures in the world. Thank you so much for reading and commenting. For example, here’s how a Facebook user captioned the image in a viral January 2019 post: This is Jim Thorpe. Thank you Phyllis for presenting such an out-standing hub with great photos about both of these men. He became a preacher and an inspiration to the youth of his people. His father, Hiram Thorpe, was a farmer, and his mother, Mary James, was a descendant of Chief Black Hawk. Audrey, thank you so much for such a delightful and wonderful comment. The Hopi sent runners with messages to other pueblos to warn the people and to prepare for attacks which saved their lives and their homes. So what if life hasn’t been fair? Before his death from a heart attack in 1953, Thorpe was known to entertain fans at NFL games by punting balls between the uprights in the end zone from the 50-yard line.