Pop Culture Flashback: Oscar Pistorius Stuns Olympics (August 4)

Oscar Pistorius had participated in the Paralympic Games in 2004 and 2008. Though he faced criticisms as having an “unfair advantage” for his metal prostheses, Pistorius was allowed to compete in the Summer Olympic Games in London as the first amputee runner. Although his future looked bright, it all came crashing down the following year.

2012 – Oscar Pistorius: First Amputee Competes in the Olympics

Oscar Pistorius running — Oscar Pistorius *(Wikimedia Commons)*

When he was just 11 months old, Oscar Pistorius of South Africa had both of his legs amputated below the knee because of a birth defect, but that hardly stopped him. Throughout his school years, he played water polo, tennis, wrestling and rugby. After he suffered from a knee injury while playing rugby in 2003, he turned his sights to running. In 2004, he was fitted with racing blades.

The “Blade Runner” first competed in the 2004 Summer Paralympic Games in Athens and came in third overall in the T44 100-metre event. He later won a gold medal for the 200-metre race beating out two American runners with single amputations. In 2005, Pistorius was invited to his first nondisabled event in Helsinki, Finland but was not able to attend. He wanted to compete in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China but Pistorius was not selected by the South African Olympic Committee. However, the runner did compete in that country’s Paralympic Games that year. He won three gold medals.

Despite criticisms that Pistorius had an unfair advantage because of his prostheses, he was allowed to compete in the next Olympic Games. On this day in 2012 in London, Pistorius became the first amputee runner to compete at the Olympics by running in an opening heat of the men’s 400-meter. Pistorius finished second out of five runners and advanced to the semifinals, where he finished eighth out of eight runners. He truly inspired people around the world.

The future seemed bright for the athlete, but all of that changed in February of 2013 when Pistorius was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend. On September 12, 2013, Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide. Pistorius was released on parole on January 5, 2024, with conditions in place until his sentence expires on December 5, 2029.

OTHER EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY:

1942 – Holiday Inn’s Connection to the Film, ‘Holiday Inn’

Marjorie Reynolds and Fred Astaire look into each other's as Bing Crosby stands between them in the movie, Holiday Inn. — Marjorie Reynolds, Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire in *Holiday Inn (TVDB via Paramount Pictures)*

Ever wonder why the hotel chain, Holiday Inn, chose its name? It was directly inspired by the movie musical, Holiday Inn which premiered at the New York Paramount Theatre on this day in 1942. About ten years later, Kemmons Wilson was building his first motel. Having been to many inconsistent motels, he envisioned building a reliable, standardized motel where guests could expect something better every time. Wilson’s architect, Eddie Bluestein had just watched the movie and really enjoyed the festive atmosphere of the Holiday Inn. As a joke, he wrote “Holiday Inn” on the blueprints. Wilson loved the name and so, the name stuck.

The movie begins with a trio of performers: Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby), Lila Dixon (Virginia Dale) and Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire). Jim plans to retire from performing, marry Lila and move to a farm in Connecticut. But Lila breaks his heart and runs off with Ted instead.

Now owning a farm, Jim decides to turn the farm’s lodge into an entertainment venue that only operates during the holidays. Eventually, Lila, Ted and new girl Linda Mason (Marjorie Reynolds) join Jim at the Holiday Inn and perform together for the rest of the year.

Holiday Inn’s odd plot offers a good excuse for many musical numbers. The film contains 12 songs all written by Irving Berlin. “White Christmas” earned an Oscar for Best Original Song. The movie also contains another holiday favorite, “Easter Parade”. If you’ve seen the movie on TV, you might only count 11 songs. That’s because one scene is often left out. During the song number which appears during the celebration about President Lincoln’s birthday, a blackface minstrel show is incorporated into an act.

Holiday Inn, the movie, is often confused with the 1954 movie White Christmas which features the same Oscar-winning song and also starred Crosby. (Astaire was also supposed to star in the latter film, but he declined.) Fortunately, Holiday Inn, the hotel chain, is open more often than the fictional lodge in the movie.