06-23-2025 - a moment in Celebrity History

On June 23, 1894, one of the most iconic and influential personalities in the history of the Olympics was born: Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the father of the modern Olympic Games.

Born into an aristocratic French family in Paris, Pierre de Coubertin was a passionate advocate for education and believed in the power of sport to promote international understanding and peace. He was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games in Greece and dreamed of reviving them in the modern era.

In 1892, Coubertin first proposed the idea of reviving the Olympic Games at a meeting of the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (USFSA). Two years later, on June 23, 1894, he organized an international congress at the Sorbonne in Paris, where 79 delegates from nine countries unanimously voted to establish the International Olympic Committee and to hold the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, in 1896.

As the President of the IOC from 1896 to 1925, Coubertin worked tirelessly to promote the Olympic Movement and its values of excellence, friendship, and respect. He designed the Olympic rings, which symbolize the five continents and the unity of the Olympic Movement, and he wrote the Olympic Charter, which sets out the rules and principles of the Olympic Games.

Throughout his life, Coubertin remained committed to the Olympic ideals and worked to ensure the success and sustainability of the Games. He also promoted the inclusion of art, literature, and music in the Olympic program, believing that the Games should celebrate the full range of human achievement.

Pierre de Coubertin's legacy lives on today, with the Olympic Games being one of the most significant and widely-watched events in the world, bringing together athletes from hundreds of countries to compete in the spirit of friendship and fair play. His birthday, June 23, is celebrated each year as Olympic Day, a global celebration of the Olympic values and the power of sport to bring people together.