Jesse Owens was born on Sept. 12 in Alabama, the son of a sharecropper. His name was originally James Cleveland Owens. At the age of 9, his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he was given the nickname Jesse. Jesse was an excellent track athlete in junior high and high school, setting world records for his age group.

As an Ohio State University student, Owens set new world records in the 220 yard dash, the 200 yard hurdles, and the long jump (and equaled the record in the 100 yard) at the National Collegiate Track and Field Meet (on May 25, 1935).

The next year, at the 1936 Berlin Olympic games, Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals (in the 100 meter, 200 meter, 400 meter relay and the long jump) , set two Olympic records, and tied another. This humiliated Hitler (who was the leader of Germany at the time and the person who began World War 2, killing millions of people). Owens' victories were an affront to Hitler's racial theories - Hitler had assumed that the "Aryans" (the Germanic race) would easily win.

Owens held alone or shared the world records for all sprint distances recognized by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF; later International Association of Athletics Federations). After retiring from competitive track, Owens engaged in boys' guidance activities, made goodwill visits to India and East Asia for the U.S. Department of State, served as secretary of the Illinois State Athletic Commission, and worked in public relations. In 1976 Owens received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 1990 he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold.  Owens died on March 31, 1980 as one of the world's greatest track and field athletes ever.