1896 – Athens, Greece

The first Modern Olympic Games were held in the place of birth of the Olympics.England, Greece, Italy, Russia, Spain, Sweden and the United States open Games.

1900 – Paris, France

Women took part for the first time in the history of modern Olympics.

1904 – St. Louis, USA

These were the first modern Olympic Games, where gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded for first, second and third prize respectively.

1908 – London, United Kingdom

The Marathon -- 26 miles to Olympic stadium and 365 yards inside it -- is run for the first time at its current length.

1912 – Stockholm, Sweden

At these games, for the first time competitors came from all five continents symbolized in the Olympic rings.

1916 – Not celebrated due to WW1

1920 – Antwerp, Belgium

Olympic flag unfurled for first time; its five coloured rings (black, blue, yellow, green and red) incorporate at least one colour found in flag of every nation on earth.

1924 – Paris, France

The VIII Olympiad were the last ones to be organized under the presidency of Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of modern Olympics.

1928 – Amsterdam, Holland

These games were the first to bear the name Summer Olympic Games and the Olympic torch was also lit for the first time.

1932 – Los Angeles, USA

Colombia and the Republic of China made their first appearances at the Olympic Games. Eddie Tolan of U.S. becomes first African-American to win Olympic gold.

1936 – Berlin, Germany

Jesse Owens, an African-American athlete in the times of racial discrimination, became the star of the Games and won four gold medals in the sprint and long jump events.

1940 – Not celebrated due to WW2

1944 – Not celebrated due to WW2

1948 – London, United Kingdom

The XIV Olympiad was

officially opened by King George VI.

1952 – Helsinki, Finland

Soviet Union rejoins Games

after 40-year absence.

1956 – Melbourne, Australia

11 world records, 36 Olympic records; Australian swimmers capture 8 of 13 golds in sweeping men's and women's freestyle events.

1960 – Rome, Italy

83 nations and 5,000 athletes competed.At the Rome Olympics, Soviets won 15 of the 16 possible medals in women's gymnastics.

1964 – Tokyo, Japan

Japan invests $3 billion in preparation. Opening ceremonies broadcast via satellite for first time.

1968 – Mexico City, Mexico

These are the only Olympic Games held in Latin America. Also at these games, East and West Germany send their separate teams for the first time.

1972 – Munich, Germany

The Games were marred by the Munich massacre. On September 5, 1972 Palestinian terrorists belonging to the Black September Organization abducted eleven Israeli athletes from the Games Village and subsequently

killed them.

1976 – Montreal, Canada

The Games were officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II and several of the members of the royal family of Britain were present on the occasion.

1980 – Moscow, Russia

The USA boycotted the Games as a protest to USSR's invasion of Afghanistan.

1984 – Los Angeles, USA

Owing to the American boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games, Soviet and other Eastern bloc countries including Cuba, East Germany and others also boycotted the Los Angeles Games.

1988 – Seoul, Korea

Ben Johnson of Canada and 10 other competitors disqualified for using performance-enhancing drugs.

1992 – Barcelona,

Spain

With the exception of Afghanistan, it was for the first time since 1972 Munich Olympics that all the IOC countries participated in the Games.

1996 – Atlanta, USA

Twenty four countries made their Olympic debut this year. The Games were also affected by violence as on July 27, 1996 the Centennial Olympic Park was bombed killing two and wounding 111 others.

2000 – Sydney,

Australia

The 'Millennium Games' generated much interest world wide. Sir Steve Redgrave became the only

rower ever to win gold medals in five consecutive Games and just one of four Olympians overall.

2004 – Athens,

Greece

At the Athens Olympic

Games all the 202 nations affiliated to the International Olympic Committee participated at the Games. The Athenians put up a spectacular cultural show and fireworks during the opening and closing ceremonies.

2008 – Beijing, China

The most-populated country

on the planet hosted the world's biggest sporting event and served up a spectacular celebration of the 29th Olympiad – headlined by history-making Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps.

2012 – London, United Kingdom

The London 2012 Games are the catalyst for transforming 2.5sq km of land in east London.

What was once industrial, contaminated land has been rapidly transformed over the last few years.Will Team GB win big in their home games?

2016 – Rio, Brazil

In 2016, the greatest sporting event in the world will take place for the first time in South America.