Prompt Cast
The History and Design of Olympic Torches
TLDR The Olympic torch tradition originated in ancient Greece and was revived in the 19th century. Olympic torches are designed to be visually appealing, lightweight, and able to stay lit under any condition. They have become more sustainable in recent years, with the Tokyo torch made from recycled materials. The torch relay involves a variety of transportation methods and notable individuals, and has had some memorable moments, such as being taken to space and flown on the Concorde.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
This episode is about Olympic torches and their history and design.
04:48
The Olympic torch tradition originated in ancient Greece, where a torch relay was held to commemorate Prometheus stealing fire from Zeus, and it was revived in the 19th century by Baron Pierre de Coubertin.
09:40
The Olympic torch relay tradition was revived in 1936 by Carl Diem, the secretary general of the organizing committee of the Berlin Games, and the torch was ignited in Greece and brought to Berlin, connecting the Third Reich to the ancient Greek and Roman empires.
14:40
To design and build an Olympic torch, firms must submit a proposal to the Olympic committee, ensuring that the torch is visually appealing, functional, lightweight, and can stay lit under any condition, with redundancies built in, and can be carried by anyone, while also including a way to permanently deactivate it after one-time use.
19:32
OlympicTorchRepair.com is a niche website dedicated to fixing and reactivating 1996 Atlanta Olympic torches, which can be purchased for prices ranging from $1500 to $4000 for newer ones and up to $880,000 for rare ones like the 1952 Helsinki torch.
24:24
Olympic torches have become more sustainable in recent years, with the Tokyo torch being made from aluminum that was used to house residents after the Fukushima disaster, and the 2020 torch having five smaller flames that provide redundancy so the main flame never goes out.
28:52
The Olympic torch is lit using a parabolic mirror to concentrate the sun's rays, and the relay route is determined by the organizing committee of each Olympics.
33:58
The Olympic torch relay involves a variety of transportation methods and requires many people to carry the torch, including notable individuals and sponsors, and sometimes even robots; in 1976, Montreal hosted the Olympics and transmitted the flame into a radio signal, shot it into space, and then converted it back into flame on Earth.
38:44
Muhammad Ali surprises the crowd by appearing at the top of a ramp and lighting the Olympic torch, making it one of the greatest Olympic moments in America; other notable torch lighting moments include Paralympic archer Antonio Rebolo shooting a fiery arrow and the release of doves at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
43:26
The Olympic torch has had some notable moments, including being taken to space in 1996, 2000, and 2014, and being flown on the Concorde in 1992 for the Barcelona Games.
Categories:
Society & Culture
