The 1992 Olympics changed Barcelona

The number of cities bidding to host the Olympics has dropped in recent decades

Hosting the Olympics was once an honor and a way to bring people and prestige to a city. But in 2017, only two nations bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. This video walks through how every Olympics since 1960 has run over budget, and how the era of building dozens of new venues for the Games contributed to high cost overruns and corruption.

A map of Barcelona from 150 BCE to 2010

Watch Barcelona evolve from Iberian settlements in 150 BCE to Spain’s second-largest city in the modern day by toggling this chronological series of 27 maps. Accompanied by a short contextual blurb, each map shows Barcelona’s steady urbanization over more than two millennia. For those captivated by the interactive, read this interview with one of the project’s key cartographers. He discusses how the mega-map was created and what it reveals about Barcelona’s history.

The inclusion of NBA stars in the '92 Olympics changed basketball's global standing

The Olympics finally permitted professional basketball players to play in 1992 Summer Games and the NBA produced one of the greatest basketball teams ever assembled: The Dream Team. Billions worldwide watched Jordan, Bird, and Magic dominate to win gold, inspiring future Hall of Famers and increasing the NBA's viewership.

A broad history of Barcelona

We gave you Barcelona’s history in under 400 words. If you’re craving more detail but still don’t want to read a textbook, check out this overview by the European Association of Archeologists. It starts with the Iberian settlements scattered across modern-day Barcelona during the Iron Age and ends with the impacts of the 2010 financial crisis.

The impact of FC Barcelona on Catalan pride

FC Barcelona is one of the most decorated soccer clubs in the world and has also become a source of Catalan pride. It all started in 1899 with a Swiss-German accountant and journalist, a newspaper advertisement, and 11 talented soccer players. Read this article to learn about the team’s humble beginnings and how its history overlaps with the Catalan resistance to Spanish rule.

A look at Barcelona's contemporary art scene

Barcelona is no stranger to influential artists: Antoni Gaudi, Joan Miró, and Pablo Picasso, to name a few. It was the cradle of the Catalan Modernism and Art Nouveau movements in the 19th and 20th centuries. Art continues to be an important form of expression in Barcelona, but style is always evolving. This piece introduces readers to the obscure neighborhoods and budding galleries shaping Barcelona's contemporary art scene.

51 must-see attractions in Barcelona

Planning a trip to Barcelona? Check out this comprehensive list of the city’s most iconic sites. It’s organized from most well-known to least, so if you’re pressed for time, the authors recommend concentrating on the top of the list.

The evolution of the Olympics from ancient Greece to the modern world

The Olympic Games have evolved from a sacred footrace in 776 BCE honoring Zeus to a global celebration of athletic excellence and unity. Ancient Greek city-states set aside their conflicts under a sacred truce for events like wrestling and chariot racing. Though the Games ended in 393 CE, Pierre de Coubertin revived them in 1896, adding modern elements like the torch relay and the inclusion of women. Watch 1440's breakdown of the historic event here.

Some tourist hot spots, including Barcelona and Mexico City, are shunning tourists.

Major scandals have undermined the reputation of the Olympics

With billions in public money in play and the high stakes of winning gold for one's country, the Olympics have had their fair share of scandals. This Global Investigative Journalism Network list highlights eight groundbreaking investigations by journalists about the Olympics. It includes the 2014 Russian doping scandal, venue corruption in Rio, and the decadeslong cycle of sexual abuse by an Olympic doctor.

How the Winter Games used to look

Using archival footage from the first Winter Olympics in 1924 to the present day, this video explores 100 years of Winter Olympic competition. Watch different eras of ski jumping, figure skating, and bobsledding. See how athletes use the facilities year-round to train. And learn how swimming facilities used for the Summer Games are transformed into curling ice for the Winter Games.

10 things you need to know before going to Barcelona

If you’re planning a trip to Barcelona, you might want to check out this tip sheet before you go. Barcelona-based travel writer Jamie Ditaranto shares her insider tips. From an endorsement of the public transportation system to a warning about pickpocketing, this guide is practical and doesn’t sugar coat.

See every Olympic torch used since its debut in 1936

The 1936 Berlin Games were the first to use a torch relay to light the Olympic cauldron. At each subsequent Olympic Games, the host country designed a new set of torches. See what each torch looked like, the start and end date of the relay, the number of torches produced, what type of fuel was used, and view a map of the route.

A visual guide to the athletic events the Olympics left behind

The series of competitions in today's version of the Olympic Games are the survivors of years of experimentation. This illustrated guide details some of the sports and creative competitions that didn't make the cut. Some sports were dropped due to their lack of visual appeal, while others were simply too specific, like the swim limited to sailors of the Royal Greek Navy.

The sordid soirées of the Olympic Village

The Olympic Village brings together some of the world's most physically fit young people for two weeks. That leads to lots of romantic connections, as this firsthand account from a few who have been there attests. The degree of connection at some Games in recent decades has required the village's medical facility to distribute more than 100,000 prophylactics.

Things to avoid doing in Barcelona

Everyone gets told about the places they should visit, the food they should try, and the activities they should do. But what about the things one shouldn’t do? Here’s that list. The authors are journalists and tour guides in Barcelona, so you can suspect they know what they’re talking about when they say “Don’t treat tapas like fast food.”

Hosting the World Cup requires massive investments in infrastructure

Since the 1990s, those costs have crept into the billions. Cities are able to sell the high price tag with promises of jobs and tourism dollars, but long-term studies showed the promises were often overstated.

The 2026 Milan-Cortina Games are the most geographically spread out ever

As part of the planning committee's efforts to reduce costs and minimize infrastructure impact, existing ski resorts, rinks, and stadiums were used for the Winter Olympics in northern Italy. This inherently spreads events out, with venues scattered over a roughly 8,500-square-mile area of the country. See a map of the venues here.

The ancient Games at Olympia ended after 1,500 years due to economic issues

The ancient Olympics came to an end in 393 CE, and some historians point to Christian Roman emperor Theodosius I's ban on celebrating pagan festivals. This article explores an alternative theory: a bad economy. The writers cite the Theodosian Code, which makes no mention of the Olympics, and multiple records that mention the Olympics after Theodosius' death.

See artifacts from the ancient Olympics at the Met.

Charting how many Olympic tickets are sold

This chart compares the total number of tickets sold for Summer Olympic sporting events with the number of tickets available. The article sources the data from the International Olympic Committee website and goes back to the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin revived the ancient Olympic Games

When Baron Pierre de Coubertin was just 11, Germans began excavations at the site of the original ancient Olympics. It was a formative moment that fueled his dream of reviving the Olympic Games to cultivate educational discipline, national spirit, and international peace. This deep dive explores the lengthy process Coubertin went through and the challenges he overcame to bring the first modern Olympics to Athens in 1894.

The modern Olympic truce originated in a real pause in ancient conflict

Back in Ancient Greece, neighboring city-states were constantly at war. So when the Olympics started in 776 BCE, they needed a way to keep the peace. This video from the International Olympic Committee discusses the origins of the Olympic Truce and its reinstatement at the 1994 Games in Lillehammer.

The all-time list of every modern Olympic sport

Curious about which sports were played at the 1894 Olympics? Want to learn the rules of Breaking? This list gives a comprehensive overview of every Olympic sport ever played, sortable by game type and specific Olympic year. Click into a sport to see a brief overview, a list of rules, and an explainer video.

Snowboarding was first included in the Olympics in 1998

Snowboarding entered the Winter Olympics in 1998 in Nagano, Japan, featuring giant slalom and halfpipe events—a move influenced by the sport’s rapid growth and mainstream exposure through competitions like the X Games.

The US first hosted the World Cup in 1994, a tournament that lives in soccer infamy for its poor planning and the game that led to the murder of Colombian player Andres Escobar, who had accidentally scored on his own net.

100 storylines to watch at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics

NBC compiled 100 storylines to watch at the Milan Cortina Winter Games—spanning medal races, comeback bids, historic firsts, and geopolitical questions—to help fans track what could define the 2026 Olympics Winter Games.

The 1904 Olympic marathon was a bizarre spectacle

When the Olympics first came to the US, the race was still a fringe event with few established rules. That led to an absurd comedy, with competitors ingesting poison, hitchhiking 11 miles of the course, and occasionally sipping brandy.

Essential Catalan phrases you’ll need in Barcelona

When you go to a restaurant in Barcelona, you’ll probably get offered a menu in three languages: Spanish, English and Catalan. Catalan is one of the four official languages of Spain and the primary language schoolchildren learn in Barcelona. The language has become a source of pride and unity throughout the Catalonia region. So, here are some phrases you might hear and want to use in Barcelona.

Commercial air travel made international vacations more commonplace.

Dubai and Barcelona are examples of smart cities

By integrating technology into public transit, utilities, and other municipal systems, these cities aim to reduce costs and enhance the quality of life for their residents. Some of these technologies include adaptive lighting, parking sensors, and underground waste systems.

Watch archival footage of Jesse Owens in the 1936 Berlin Olympics

The 1936 Berlin Games were the first Olympics to be shown live on television (though not broadcast). The Germans used a closed circuit television network to bring the Games to 25 viewing halls in black and white. View footage of American Olympic hero Jesse Owens winning his four gold medals, and his historic interaction with German long jumper Luz Long in Nazi Germany.

The first modern marathon was at the 1896 Olympic Games

The modern marathon was created for the revived Olympic Games in 1896, with the course starting in Marathon and ending in Athens. The race was won by Spiridon Louis, a Greek water carrier who surged in the last stretch to the delight of the hometown crowd.

See the celebration at the Berlin Wall as it fell in 1989

In November 1989, East German guards stood down as crowds surged across the nearly 100-mile barrier encircling West Berlin. Thousands celebrated the wall’s sudden irrelevance and collapse. This ABC News report captures the moment’s upheaval and joy.

Machu Picchu before it was a tourist attraction

The Machu Picchu we know today is familiar thanks to its neatly manicured plazas, lovingly preserved stone buildings, and ever-present hordes of tourists. But that’s not what Hiram Bingham saw when Melchor Arteaga led him to the site in 1911. Back then, it lay covered by centuries of tropical overgrowth.

Catalonia’s independence movement, explained

On October 1, 2017, Catalonia held a constitutional referendum on independence from Spain. The Spanish government arrested elected officials, confiscated ballots, closed polling stations, and ultimately deemed the referendum illegitimate. Nearly 1,000 people were injured and, according to the Catalan Parliament, 90% of those who did get to cast a ballot, voted to secede. What led to this? This 6-minute video takes a step to give some context.

The US and the USSR each boycotted Olympic Games during the Cold War

The US led a boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In retaliation, the USSR and its allies skipped the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

The Olympics were just one of four Panhellenic Games in ancient Greece

Within every "Olympiad" (or four-year period), different Games were held each year in Greece—it was not just the single Olympics every four years. The Hellenic Museum in Australia explores each of the Panhellenic Games: the Isthmian Games, the Nemean Games, the Pythian Games, and the Olympic Games. Each section explores the history, which god was worshiped, and what winners received.

Atlantic City was a major vacation destination in the early 20th century

The city’s boardwalk, filled with amusement parks and vendors, became a significant attraction for vacationing families. The town also became a hub for entertainment, with actors often starting there before heading to Broadway.

An illustrated guide to the ancient Greek version of the Olympics

Go back to the original time and place of the athletic contest with this illustrated guide to the Games. For 1,200 years, the ancient Greeks would gather every four years for the Games in Elis, months after heralds had spread the word of the event to the region's many peninsulas, with its greatest athletes competing for honor.

The 20th-century rise of fascism affected the World Cup

Spain, in the midst of a civil war, did not participate, and Japan, after invading China, pulled out of the competition. An additional six Central and North American teams scratched by the time that year's World Cup began.

Vintage 1980s photos of the streets of San Francisco

In the early 1980s, San Francisco was changing amid increased diversity and a nascent tech boom. This series of photos from 1981 and 1982 was found of the evolving city, depicting trolleys, doorsteps, storefronts, and more from a time very different from today. Explore the vintage shots here.

The ancient Greeks and Romans were known to take vacations.

The first Winter X Games launched in 1997 at Big Bear Lake

The inaugural Winter X Games in 1997 introduced snowboarding, skiing, and snowmobile events—helping boost winter action sports’ popularity and paving the way for snowboarding’s inclusion in the 1998 Winter Olympics.

Throughout the 1980s, the Times Square ball was a giant apple

From 1981 to 1988, the sparkling ball was replaced by a “big apple” to promote the city’s “I Love New York” tourism campaign. This broadcast is from the apple’s first year, where one announcer proclaims, “It’s great! It’s beautiful!”

The US Olympic hockey team upset the USSR in 1980—later dubbed the 'Miracle on Ice'

At the 1980 Winter Olympics, a team of American college players defeated the heavily favored Soviet hockey team—shocking the world. The victory became a defining moment of Cold War sports rivalry and American national pride.

The marathon was not an event in the ancient form of the Olympics

The ancient Olympics started with just one footrace, a roughly 3-mile jaunt dubbed the "dolichos." Over the centuries, it blossomed into multiple running events, field events, combat sports, and equestrian events—all performed in the nude. This list showcases eight more lesser-known facts about the ancient Games.

Photos of Olympians visiting with US presidents

American Olympic athletes have visited the White House for nearly a century, with presidents using these ceremonial receptions to celebrate athletic excellence and connect sports achievement to national pride. The tradition has evolved from modest gatherings into major media events across multiple administrations.

The history of the iconic Barbie doll

The 1959 debut of the Barbie doll changed the culture of toys permanently, and its many iterations have come to reflect, in a certain way, the aspirations of women around the world. But Barbie's unrealistic looks and plastic substance have prompted...

Over time, the World Cup became a TV powerhouse, generating massive revenue from broadcast rights and ad placements.