How will the 1996 Olympics be remembered?
The triumph of the athletes:
Like Michael Johnson of the United States, who became the first runner to win both the 400 and 200 meters. And Carl Lewis, also of the U.S., who won a gold in the long jump for the fourth Olympics in a row. Or Kerri Strug, who did her final vault with a dislocated ankle to ensure the gold for the U.S. women's gymnastic team. And the sheer number of athletes -- more than 10,000 from a record 197 countries.
The glory of the opening ceremonies:
When an ailing Muhammad Ali, with shaking hands, lit the giant Olympic torch.
The glitches:
The snarled traffic, the bus drivers who didn't know where they were going, the computer foul-up which sent wrong scores around the world, the commercialization which led IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch to withhold his usual "best games ever" accolade.
Centennial Olympic Park before and after the bombing:
The park was the Olympics' only free and open space, where the joy and good will of the spectators spilled over. And where on Saturday, July 27, at 1:20 a.m., as thousands listened to a rock concert, a crude pipe bomb exploded, killing one person and injuring 111. A warning call had come 13 minutes earlier, but was never conveyed to park officials. Meanwhile, a security guard had noticed a suspicious knapsack and started clearing the area. The bomb went off before it could be defused.
"The games will go on," officials said, and they did. Neither the determination of the athletes nor the enthusiasm of the crowds was diminished. Security, already tight following the explosion of TWA Flight 800 earlier in the month, got even tighter. Centennial Park, designed for easy public access, was the one area where security wasn't stringent. No more.
In a strange twist, a few days later the security guard, Richard Jewell, was named as a suspect. His name had been leaked to the media -- some said because the FBI was anxious to show it was making progress. The FBI produced no evidence, and three months later cleared him, although without the apology he wanted. Jewell accused the FBI and the media of "almost destroying me and my mother" and suggested he would sue. In December, he reached an out-of-court settlement with NBC.
Also in December, the FBI offered a half-million-dollar reward and released a recording of the emergency 911 call, in hopes someone would recognize the voice.