History of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics on display at the Atlanta History Center

ATLANTA — The Atlanta ’96 exhibit at the Atlanta History Center tells the story of how the Olympics came to Atlanta and the legacy the Games left behind.

“Atlanta’s hosting of the Olympics was no accident,” said Paul Crater, vice president of collections and research services at the Atlanta History Center. “City leaders had long promoted the city as a national and international destination.”

The exhibition features items from more than a century of competition, including autographed balls, Olympic and Paralympic medals and every torch since 1936.

It was designed to show how the Olympic Games have evolved over the years.

“Izzy, the (1996) Olympic mascot, was the first computer-generated Olympic mascot,” Crater said. “Looking back 28 years, the technology that was used not only to put on the Games but to put on the bid shows how far countries and organizing committees have come.”

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In addition to the memorabilia on display, the historic center has an extensive Olympic collection in its archives, including two two-century-old medals from Paris, which they took out of storage for 11Alive to see.

“Participation medals have been awarded since the beginning of the Olympic Games,” Crater said. “The Atlanta History Center has dozens of these participation medals, including two from the Paris Games in 1924 and 1900.”

The Atlanta ’96 exhibit is on display year-round at the Atlanta History Center.