Contemporary · South America · Culture
2016
Rio Olympics open
August 5, 2016
Rio de Janeiro became the first South American city to host the Summer Games, against a backdrop of Zika virus, political turmoil, and unfinished construction. Usain Bolt completed his triple-triple. The opening ceremony was a love letter to Brazil's mongrel beauty, even as the country was tearing itself apart in the suites upstairs.
In context
Also in 2016 (7 other events on record)
- Trump elected president · North America · Politics
- AlphaGo beats Lee Sedol · East Asia · Technology
- Brexit referendum · Europe · Politics
- Gravitational waves detected · North America · Science
- Failed Turkish coup · Middle East · Politics
- Pulse nightclub massacre · North America · Disaster
Before and after in South America
Before and after in Culture
Era
Contemporary (2001–2026), one of 196 events from that era on Saeculum.