Back in the Day: dawn of the Winter Olympics

January 25, 1924: The French Alpine resort of Chamonix hosts the first edition of the Winter Olympics. The idea of an Olympic Games for winter sports had been put forward some years earlier but plans were interrupted by World War I. Before that, proposals to replace the Nordic Games with an Olympic event dedicated to winter sports had been resisted by Sweden. The event in Chamonix was actually called the “International Winter Sports Week” despite lasting for 11 days. Six sports were contested by 16 nations with Norway coming out on top of the medals table, dominating the skiing in particular. The success of the Chamonix Games prompted organisers to pursue the idea and the Winter Olympic Games have been held 21 times since, starting in late January or early February although the 1940 and 1944 editions were cancelled due to the war. St. Moritz in Switzerland and Innsbruck in Austria have had the pleasure of hosting the event twice.

Also on January 25: English King Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn (1533); Moscow University is founded (1755); foundation of the League of Nations (1919); start of the Egyptian Revolution (2011).

Born on January 25: Robert Burns (1759), Eduard Shevardnadze (1928), Eusébio (1942), Xavi (1980).

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