“First Winter Olympics” and “McCartney is Deported from Tokyo” - This Day in History – Jan 25th

Chamonix France, welcomes first Winter Olympiad

Back in 1924 the First Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix France.  This Alpine Village hosted an “International Winter Sports Week,” which was held in the same year as the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.  This winter sporting event consisted of 258 athletes (11 women and 247 men) who represented 16 nations while competing in 18 Olympic events.

Originally conceived as "International Winter Sports Week," the Chamonix games were held in association with the 1924 Summer Olympics, held in Paris, and boasted 258 athletes (247 men and 11 women) from 16 nations, competing in a total of 18 events.

History.com stated that, “In one of the most unexpected stories to come out of the first Winter Games, the Norwegian-born American ski jumper Anders Haugen, captain of the U.S. Olympic team, came in fourth, but was awarded the bronze medal a full 50 years later, when a mathematical error was discovered that would have put Haugen in third place.”

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Beetle’s McCartney is deported from Japan

Back in 1980, singer, songwriter, Paul McCartney returned to Japan 14 years later since performing there as part of the musical group, The Beetles.  Mr. McCartney’s visit ended up in a Japan jail cell instead of the concert stage due to being caught with marijuana possession.

Mr. McCartney was apprehended during his arrival at Tokyo's Narita International Airport with half a pound of the marijuana in his baggage.  Mr. McCartney insisted that the drugs were for personal usage but Japan official did not believe him.  Mr. McCartney was sentenced to nine-day stay in the Tokyo Narcotics Detention Center.

Mr. McCartney faced a potential seven-year sentence due to smuggling charge.  History.com acknowledged that, “given Japan's reputation for rigorous enforcement of its strict anti-drug laws, it was by no means a foregone conclusion that McCartney would escape trial and possible imprisonment, yet he was released and quickly deported from Japan on January 25, 1980, prior to making any appearance in court.”

According to history.com, “Twenty years after his 1980 arrest, Paul would opine that his psychological motivation may have been to find an excuse to disband Wings, which he in fact did immediately following his return to England. In another interview, however, Sir Paul offered an explanation that may be the more compelling for its simplicity: "We were about to fly to Japan and I knew I wouldn't be able to get anything to smoke over there," McCartney said in 2004. "This stuff was too good to flush down the toilet, so I thought I'd take it with me."

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