On April 6, 1896, the first modern Olympic games began in Athens, Greece with the opening ceremony in the Panathenaic Stadium.

The Boston Marathon began in 1897, but the starting line didn’t move from Ashland to neighboring Hopkinton until 1924.

Since the advent of the modern-day Olympics in 1896 ... shows the progression of gold medalists' times for the marathon since 1896. Use the zoom controls at the top right to get a closer look ...