PARIS 1900: The first woman to win an Olympic event was England's Charlotte Cooper, who won the tennis singles.
LONDON 1908: The first time a relay was included in the athletics events.
The Paralympic Games
The word "Paralympic" is often misinterpreted. It derives from the Greek preposition "para" ("beside" or "alongside") and the word "Olympic" (the Paralympics being the parallel Games to the Olympic Games). The term highlights the close association with the Olympic Movement, and illustrates how the two movements exist side by side.
The Paralympic Games actually began in 1948 as the brainchild of Sir Ludwig Guttman in Stoke Mandeville, England as a rehabilitation activity for veterans of World War II. It rapidly turned into the international event we see today.
It is always held the same year as the Olympic Games, and since the 1988 Summer Games and the 1992 Winter games it has also been hosted in the same venues. Most significantly in recent years, an agreement with the IOC was signed in 2001 that obliges cities bidding to host any Games from 2012 will be commited to staging both the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games.