Jesse Owens Events

1913 Sep 12 James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens is born
The tenth child of Henry and Emma Alexander Owens was named James Cleveland when he was born in Danville, Alabama on September 12, 1913. "J.C.", as he was called, was nine when the family...
1933 Jesse Owens ties world record at National High School Championship
Owens had taken different jobs in his spare time: He delivered groceries, loaded freight cars and worked in a shoe repair shop. During this period Owens realized that he had a passion for...
1935 Jesse Owens marries Minnie Ruth Solomon
Owens and Minnie Ruth Solomon met at Fairmount Junior High School in Cleveland when he was 15 years old and she was 13 years old. They dated steadily throughout high school and Ruth gave ...
1935 May 25 Jesse Owens sets 3 world records in 45 minutes at Ohio State
Owens attended The Ohio State University only after employment was found for his father, ensuring the family could be supported. Affectionately known as the "Buckeye Bullet," Owens won a ...
1936 Aug 3
to 1936 Aug 9
 Jesse Owens wins 4 gold medals at 1936 Summer Olympics
In 1936, Owens arrived in Berlin to compete for the United States in the Summer Olympics. Adolf Hitler was using the games to show the world a resurgent Nazi Germany. He and other governm...
1980 Mar 31 Jesse Owens dies
After smoking for 35 years, Owens died of lung cancer at age 66 in Tucson, Arizona in 1980. He is buried in Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago. A few months before his death, Owens had tried ...