When were the first Summer Olympics?

The first official Summer Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896.  They were set up by a Frenchman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, in conscious homage to the ancient Olympic Games that were held in Olympia in Greece between 776 BC and 393 AD – an amazing period of a thousand years.  In 1894, de Coubertin presented his idea at a congress in the Sorbonne in Paris.  Early proposals for the site of the first modern Summer Olympic Games included Paris and London, but in the end it was unanimously agreed that Athens would be the most appropriate venue.  They were opened on Easter Monday 1896 by the King of Greece, King George I.

A fuller account of the first games can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896_Summer_Olympics.

What events were included?

The first Summer Olympics were a modest affair by today’s standards.  Drawing heavily on the traditions of the ancient Olympics Games, they nonetheless included modern sports such as shooting and tennis.  The centerpiece of the Summer Olympics was, and remains, athletics, but in addition there were medals awarded in cycling, gymnastics, fencing, wrestling, and weightlifting.

The athletics program at the first Summer Olympics also included the first-ever competitive running of the Marathon, which appropriately enough started at the Greek town of Marathon, and which was won by a Greek water carrier, Spyridon Louis.  He remains a national hero in his home country.

Winter events such as skating were planned for the first Olympic games, and took place in early competitions.  It was not for some years that the Summer and Winter Olympics were separated and the first Winter Olympics held in Chamonix in 1924. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Olympic_Games)

How did the early Olympics differ from nowadays?

The early Summer Olympics were a very different affair to today’s global circus.  The first games, in Athens, lasted just over a week, and comprised some nine different disciplines such as athletics and weightlifting – a far cry from today’s twenty-eight sports.  There was no Olympic village:  until 1932, all athletes had to organize their own accommodations.  In addition, women were not allowed to compete in the first Summer Olympics – as they had not in ancient times – and were only admitted to the games in 1900.  In all, fourteen nations were represented, and the final medal table was topped by the USA.  Some things have not changed…
(http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/table_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1896)