1896

Events

April

• April 6: Commencement of the first modern Olympic Games. By the Julian calendar, the games commenced on March 25 - the national holiday of Greece - as a symbolic gesture.
• April 7: Leonidas Pyrgos becomes the first Greek to win an Olympic Gold Medal after defeating Frenchman Peronnet at fencing.
• April 10: Spiros Loues wins the marathon in the 1896 Summer Olympics.
• April 15: Closing ceremony of the first modern Olympic Games.

June

• June 5: The National Company sends 86 guerrilas, under Athanasios Broufas, to support the Macedonian Struggle.

August

• August 8: Greek volunteers land in Crete to support the Cretan revolt against the Ottoman Empire.

Births

February

• February 5: George Dilboy, Greek-American World War I hero
• February 10: Sir John Harding, military governor of Cyprus.

March

• March 1: Dimitris Mitropoulos, conductor

September

• September 4: Aspasia Manou, wife of King Alexander.

October

• October 30: Kostas Karyotakis, poet

Unknown

• Eleni Skoura, politician

Deaths

March

• March 30: Charilaos Trikoupis, politician, Prime Minister

April

• April 15: Georgios Vizyinos, poet/writer.

November

• November 12: Spyridon Xyndas, musician