Jesse Owens Wins Gold

Alabamian Jesse Owens stands atop the medal podium after winning gold in the long jump event at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. Japan's Naoto Tajima, left, earned bronze, and Carl Ludwig "Luz" Long, right, won silver. Long reportedly helped Owens with advice in the event after the American fouled twice during a qualifying round, a courageous gesture of sportsmanship in 1930s Nazi Germany, and the two men corresponded after the Olympics. Long died from wounds he received while serving in the German Army in 1943, and Owens later traveled to Germany to meet with Long's son, Karl.

Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Appears In