The first London Olympics, 1908

the long version

In the summer that saw the first successful flight of the Zeppelin, a 140 acre site of scrubland in West London was transformed into the White City, which housed the 1908 Franco British Exhibition and a state-of-the-art stadium built to host the first London Olympics. Just as today, the sport was overshadowed by doping scandals and caused international uproar. The ferocious competiveness of a US team led to a succession of scandals. Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the first London Olympics, this delightful social and sporting history provides a thought-provoking contrast to the forthcoming 2012 Olympic Games.