Olmutz Vol-muits\, Punctation of (Nov. 29, 1850) Agreement signed at Olmutz (now Olomouc, Cz.Rep.) between Prussia and Austria. In response to an appeal from the elector of Hesse for help against rebellious subjects, Prussia and Austria sent troops. They threatened to clash, and when Russia sided with Austria, Prussia withdrew. In the Olmutz agree¬ ment, Prussia gave up its plans to create a union of German states with¬ out Austria and accepted Austria’s reconstitution of the German Confederation. Prussia resented the diplomatic reverse and considered itself humiliated.
Olney, Richard (b. Sept. 15, 1835, Oxford, Mass., U.S.—d. April 8, 1917, Boston, Mass.) U.S. statesman. As U.S. attorney general (1893-95) under Pres. Grover Cleveland, he set a precedent by using an injunction to break the Pullman Strike (1894). Appointed U.S. secretary of state in 1895, he was confronted with Venezuela’s request for support in its bor¬ der dispute with Britain over the boundary between Venezuela and Brit¬ ish Guiana. Olney’s aggressive note to Britain, known as the Olney Corollary, demanded that Britain submit the dispute to arbitration and reasserted U.S. sovereignty in the Western Hemisphere in accordance with the Monroe Doctrine. The matter was in fact settled by arbitration two years after Olney’s retirement in 1897.
Olt \'olt\ River River, southern Romania. It rises close to the headwa¬ ters of the Mures River in eastern Transylvania at an elevation of 5,900 ft (1,800 m). It is 308 mi (496 km) long and flows south through the south¬ ern Carpathian Mountains to enter the Danube River opposite Nikopol. There are several resorts and spas along its course through the mountains.
Olympia Ancient sanctuary and site of the Olympic Games, northwest¬ ern Peloponnese, southern Greece. Located 10 mi (16 km) inland from the Ionian Sea, it was on the northern bank of the Alpheus River. A centre of Greek religious worship, it held the primarily athletic contests in honour of Zeus every four years, beginning in 776 bc. In the temple of Zeus, built c. 460 bc, was the statue of Zeus by Phidias, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Excavations have uncovered many ruins, includ¬ ing temples and the stadium.
Olympia City (pop., 2000: 42,514), capital of Washington state, U.S. It lies at the southern end of Puget Sound, southwest of Tacoma. Originally called Smithfield, it was renamed for the nearby Olympic Mountains and incorporated as a city in 1859. It developed port facilities and a lumber- based economy, supplemented by oyster farming and other industries. Its harbour is the site of a large merchant reserve fleet. Located at the base of the Olympic Peninsula, it is the gateway to Olympic National Park.
Olympic Games Sports festival. In ancient Greece it was a Panhel- lenic festival held every fourth year and made up of contests of sports, music, and literature. Since 1896 the name has been used for a modified
Sites of the Modern Olympic Games
Year
Summer
Winter
Year
Summer
Winter
1896
Athens
1968
Mexico City
Grenoble
1900
Paris
1972
Munich
Sapporo
1904
St. Louis
1976
Montreal
Innsbruck
1908
London
1980
Moscow
Lake Placid
1912
Stockholm
1984
Los Angeles
Sarajevo
1916
t
1988
Seoul
Calgary
1920
Antwerp
1992
Barcelona
Albertville
1924
Paris
Chamonix
1994
t
Lillehammer
1928
Amsterdam
St. Moritz
1996
Atlanta
1932
Los Angeles
Lake Placid
1998
Nagano
1936
Berlin
Garmisch-
Partenkirchen
2000
Sydney
1940
t
t
2002
Salt Lake City
1944
t
t
2004
Athens
1948
London
St. Moritz
2006
Turin
1952
Helsinki
Oslo
2008
Beijing
1956
Melbourne
Cortina
2010
Vancouver
1960
1964
Rome
Tokyo
Squaw Valley Innsbruck
2012
London
The Winter Games were not held until 1924. tGames were not held during World Wars I and II. t After 1992 the Summer ana Winter Games were held on a staggered two-year schedule.
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Olympic Mountains ► Oman I 1407
revival of the ancient Games, consisting of international athletic contests held at four-year intervals. The original Games included footraces, the discus and javelin throws, the long jump, boxing, wrestling, the pentath¬ lon, and chariot races. After the subjugation of Greece by Rome, the Games declined; they were finally abolished about ad 400. They were revived in the late 19th century through efforts led in part by Pierre, baron de Coubertin; the first modern Games were held in Athens. The first Win¬ ter Games were held in 1924. The direction of the modem Olympic move¬ ment and the regulation of the Games are vested in the International Olympic Committee, headquartered at Lausanne, Switz. Until the 1970s the Games adhered to a strict code of amateurism, but since that time pro¬ fessional players have also been allowed to participate. Programs for the Summer Games include competition in archery, baseball, basketball, box¬ ing, canoeing, cycling, diving, equestrian sports, fencing, field hockey, foot¬ ball (soccer), gymnastics, handball, judo, the modem pentathlon, rowing,
SAILING, SHOOTING, SOFTBALL, SWIMMING, TABLE TENNIS, TENNIS, TRACK AND FIELD (ath¬ letics), the TRIATHLON, VOLLEYBALL, WATER POLO, WEIGHTLIFTING, and WRESTLING. The program for the Winter Games includes the biathlon, bobsledding, ice HOCKEY, LUGEING, SKELETON SLEDDING, SNOWBOARDING, and numerous ice SKAT¬ ING and skiing events. Events are periodically added and dropped.
Olympic Mountains Segment of the Pacific Coast Ranges, north¬ western Washington, U.S. The mountains extend across the Olympic Pen¬ insula south of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and west of Puget Sound within Olympic National Park. The chief peaks are Mount Olympus, at 7,965 ft (2,428 m), and Mount Constance, at 7,743 ft (2,360 m). There is heavy rainfall, creating rainforests dominated by Douglas fir and Sitka spruce. Some trees are nearly 300 ft (90 m) high and 8 ft (2.5 m) in diameter.
Olympic National Park National park, northwestern Washington, U.S. Established in 1938 to preserve the Olympic Mountains and their for¬ ests and wildlife, it covers 1,442 sq mi (3,735 sq km); it includes a strip of Pacific Northwest shoreline geographically separated from the rest of the park. There are more than 60 glaciers in the park. The western part includes rainforests; the eastern slopes feature lakes; and the ocean shore section contains scenic beaches and three Indian reservations.
Olympus, Mount Mountain peak, northeastern Greece. At 9,570 ft (2,917 m), it is the highest mountain in Greece. It is part of the Olympus range, lying on the border between Macedonia and Thessaly, near the Gulf of Salonika. The summit is snowcapped and often has cloud cover. In ancient Greece, it was regarded as the abode of the gods and the site of the throne of Zeus.