The Valley Isle’s William "Bill" Smith, trained by the legendary Soichi Sakamoto in the irrigation ditches of Puunene, Maui, was one of the most successful American swimmers in the middle of the 20th century.

He was a four-time All-American at Ohio State, where he was undefeated all four years in dual meets for the Buckeyes, set seven world records and won 14 national championships (7 NCAA, 6 NAAU indoor and 1 NAAU outdoor).

His two Olympic golds came in London, where the 24-year-old finished first in the 400 freestyle in world-record time and anchored the winning 4×200 freestyle relay.

At one time during his career, Smith held all the world freestyle records from 200 to 1,000 meters.

He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1996.

» Los Angeles was the only city to bid for the 1932 Olympics, where fewer than half the countries who participated in the 1928 Games were able to afford to send athletes during the worldwide Great Depression. It was the first time that a victory podium was used and an Olympic Village built to house athletes. Only the men lived at the village; the female athletes were housed in a hotel.

Takeichi Nishi won Japan’s only gold in equestrian show jumping to this day. He died in 1945 during the battle for Iwo Jima and was the main character in Clint Eastwood’s film, "Letters from Iwo Jima."

» Berlin was awarded the 1936 Olympics two years before the Nazis came to power. Adolph Hitler tried to bar Jews and Blacks from participating but backed off when countries threatened to boycott.

The Olympic Flame was brought to the Olympic Village for the first time by a torch relay, with the starting point in Olympia, Greece. Much to Hitler’s consternation, the star of the Games was African-American Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals in the sprint and long jump events.