When was Jesse Owens born?

Jesse Owens was born on 12 September 1913 in Oakville.

Where did Jesse Owens study?

Jesse Owens was educated at Ohio State University, East Technical High School, North Platte High School.

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Jesse Owens

American track and field athlete (1913–1980)

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James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete. He made history at the 1936 Olympic Games by winning four gold medals, setting individual Olympic records in each event, plus another as a member of the 400-meter relay. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes in track and field history.

Quick facts

Born: 12 September 1913 wd
Place of birth: Oakville wd
Died: 31 March 1980 wd
Place of death: Tucson wd
Citizenship: United States wd
Occupation: sprinter, athletics competitor, long jumper, entrepreneur, athlete, Olympic champion wd
Political party: Republican Party wd
Education: Ohio State University, East Technical High School, North Platte High School wd
Spouse: M. Ruth Solomon wd
Official website: jesseowens.com wd

Awards wd

Presidential Medal of Freedom (1976)
Congressional Gold Medal
Theodore Roosevelt Award (1974)
Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Associated Press Athlete of the Year (1936)
IAAF Hall of Fame (2012)
Silver Olympic Order (1976)

About

Owens excelled in short sprints and the long jump and was lauded in his lifetime as "perhaps the greatest and most famous athlete in track and field history". Earlier he won four events, set five world records, and tied another—all in less than an hour, at the 1935 Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a feat that has never been equaled and was called "the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport". He won four NCAA titles in both 1935 and 1936, bringing his total to eight—an unparalleled achievement still unmatched.

He achieved international fame at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, by winning four gold medals: 100 meters, long jump, 200 meters, and 4 × 100-meter relay. He was the most successful athlete at the Games and, as a black American man, was credited by ESPN with "single-handedly crushing Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy".

The Jesse Owens Award is USA Track & Field's accolade for the year's best track and field athlete. In a 1950 Associated Press poll, Owens was voted the greatest track and field athlete for the first half of the century. In 1999, he made the six-man short-list for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Century. That same year, ESPN ranked him sixth-greatest North American athlete of the twentieth century and the highest-ranked in his sport.

Questions

When was Jesse Owens born?: Jesse Owens was born on 12 September 1913 in Oakville.
Where did Jesse Owens study?: Jesse Owens was educated at Ohio State University, East Technical High School, North Platte High School.

Sources

Last updated 31 October 2026 · facts checked 5 November 2026

Cite this page

"Jesse Owens". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/jesse-owens. Retrieved 5 November 2026.

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Text from the Wikipedia article Jesse Owens, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Jesse Owens 1936.jpg — Acme News Photos, Public domain.

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