20 Years Ago, The Summer Olympics Looked Very Different

#1 Man, 1996 was a very different time. The Spice Girls were just starting to blow up.

#2 Dial-up internet was still a thing.

#3 And the United States hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics down in Atlanta, Georgia.

Atlanta beat out Greece for the ‘96 Games in a 5135 vote by the International Olympic Committee.

#4 Michael Phelps was 11 years old at the time.

#5 Ryan Lochte had never tweeted.

#6 And Simone Biles HADN’T BEEN BORN YET.

She was born in 1997, MORE THAN A YEAR LATER.

#7 But, regardless, it was still extremely cool. The opening ceremony was a big, gorgeous ordeal…

#8 …with more than a little bit of theatrics.

#9 And Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic flame.

#10 The mascot was, uhh…

#11 …well, it was originally called “Whatizit” but that was shortened to “Izzy.”

The name "Izzy" was picked by 32 American children, aged 7 to 12.

#12 It was the first year at the Olympics for women’s soccer…

#13 …and Team USA won the gold against China in the women’s soccer final.

#14 t was also the first year that beach volleyball, mountain biking, and lightweight rowing were included in the games.

#15 Michael Johnson became the only man in history to win gold in both the 200- and 400-meter sprints…

#16 …and set new world records for both.

#17 Deon Hemmings won the gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles, becoming the first Jamaican woman to medal Olympic gold in an individual event.

#18 US swimmer Amy Van Dyken became the first American woman to win four gold medals in a single Olympic Games.

#19

Turkish weightlifter Naim Suleymanoglu, standing at 4 feet and 8 inches, broke his own record and became the first weightlifter to win gold at three different Olympics.

#20

The US men's Olympic basketball team, AKA Dream Team II, achieved a perfect 80 record and beat Yugoslavia for the gold.

#21 Lilia Podkopayeva of Ukraine won the individual all-around gold in women’s gymnastics…

#22 Ahh, memories.