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Spectators in the Olympic Stadium give the Nazi salute. Berlin, Germany, August 1, 1936.
—USHMM #14495/National Archives, Washington D.C.
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| On August 1, 1936, Hitler opened the XIth Olympiad. Musical fanfares directed by the famous composer Richard Strauss announced the dictator's arrival to the largely German crowd. Hundreds of athletes in opening day regalia marched into the stadium, team by team in alphabetical order. Inaugurating a new Olympic ritual, a lone runner arrived bearing a torch carried by relay from the site of the ancient Games in Olympia, Greece. |
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Museum