Los Angeles Public Library: 1932 Olympics Through The Lens Of The Library

Press release from the Los Angeles Public Library:

July 30, 2021

While today’s Olympic athletes are breaking records in Tokyo with the help of modern science and training methods the event is no more incredible or impressive than the “little games that could” in the Summer of 1932 in our own dear LA. This beautiful map has two engaging sides, detailing the sites and imagining the colorful celebration of sport dotting the basin from the Pacific Ocean to the newly polished Olympic Stadium. It was miraculous to start that little Los Angeles could capture the games but dogged representative (and later president of the Olympic committee) William May Garland went before the Olympic committee back in 1921 and talked the city of the angels into the big time. It was a gamble in the midst of the depression and a challenge for cash-strapped nations to get to the far off Pacific Coast city. Like in 1984 newspaper naysayers knocked the daring idea but when the games began 105,000 delirious fans jammed what would become the Coliseum and another 50,000 milled around Exposition Park during the opening ceremonies.

Thirty-seven nations did make it to our fine city and eighteen world records were either equaled or broken. The great Babe Didrikson Zaharias garnered three gold medals and reminded the nation of the power of women athletes. Instead of a disaster that was foretold by local wags the city bloomed and for one shining month in the dark days of the depression Los Angeles took their place in the great cities of the world.

Our photo collection includes many of the locations of the 10th Olympic Games pictured on the maps. We also have images of Mildred "Babe" Didrikson and her medal-winning races.

This press release was produced by the Los Angeles Public Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.