On this day – 12th of September – 490 BC was the Battle of Marathon fought
The battle of Marathon was fought between the Greek and the Persian empires. What is more interesting, however, is that this battle gave the name and the distance for today’s Marathon. Ever wondered why a Marathon is 42km (26 miles)? The Greek soldier, Pheildippides was allegedly sent from the battlefield to Athens with news of the Greek victory. He arrived in Athens, exclaimed, “We have won” and died. The accuracy of this is highly debated, but already in the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896, was Marathon included as a competition.
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