The first historical records about gymnastics concerned the first Olympic Games, held in Greece in 776 B.C. The games included a number of activities, from tumbling and jumping to group gymnastics. The Greek Olympics were abolished in A.D. 393, but gymnastics were found to be useful in military training and as cross-training for other athletes.
Nineteenth Century
In the early 1800s, two French physical education teachers invented a group of exercises for their students that utilized the horizontal and parallel bars, balance beam and side horses. Teachers in the United States began incorporating these exercises into their own classes, leading to the development of modern gymnastics as practiced in America today.
Military Training
Just as in ancient Greece, the military in the United States adopted many gymnastic training techniques to help soldiers train for duty. They published drill manuals to be used in armed services basic training. As war activities moved from hand-to-hand combat to greater use of fighter planes and tanks, the military dropped its use of gymnastics in its training programs.
Olympic Games
Men's gymnastics was re-introduced to the Olympics in 1896. The competitive gymnastics at the time included synchronized team movements on the floor, climbing ladders and ropes and high jumping. In 1928, the first women's gymnastics games were brought into the Olympics at Amsterdam in the form of synchronized calisthenics. By 1952, women were competing in the same number of gymnastic competitions as the men.
Standards
Standards for awarding points and scoring gymnastics were set by the 1954 Olympics and continue to be the standard for the games. Team and individual scoring was established for men and women athletes. For nearly 20 years, men's gymnastics focused on strength and power and women's games relied more on grace and rhythm as the basis for scoring. As women became better-rounded in their routines, the field became more level. By the 2008 Olympics, scoring was changed to reflect separate scores for the degree of difficulty in routines and the execution. Instead of a 10, gymnasts now receive a top score of anywhere from 14 to 17.
Modern Era
The first American who brought gymnastics to the American forefront was Mary Lou Retton, who took home the gold medal for her country from the Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984. From that point on, gymnastics has been a very popular activity for both boys and girls in the United States.
The legendary Shannon Miller is widely considered to be the finest gymnast in U.S. gymnastics history. Her performance in the 1996 Olympics was one of the best individual performances ever.
Other famous American gymnasts include Kerri Strug, the gymnast who performed on an injured ankle to help her team win the gold in 1992, and Carly Patterson, who won a gold medal in 2004. As for American men, Bart Connor and Mitch Gaylord were outstanding Olympics competitors in the 1980s, and in 2004, Paul Hamm was the first American to win the all-around gold. In 2008, American female gymnast Shawn Johnson won one gold medal and three silver medals for the U.S.
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