Today In - 'Useless Info'

'In 490 BCE, Pheidippides, a Greek soldier, ran from Marathon to Athens (about 25 miles) to inform the Athenians the outcome of the battle with invading Persians.

The distance was filled with hills and other obstacles; thus Pheidippides arrived in Athens exhausted and with bleeding feet.

After telling the townspeople of the Greeks' success in the battle, Pheidippides fell to the ground dead.

In 1896, at the first modern Olympic Games, held a race of approximately the same length in commemoration of Pheidippides.

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The Olympic medals are designed especially for each individual Olympic Games by the host city's organizing committee.

Each medal must be at least three millimeters thick and 60 millimeters in diameter.

Also, the gold and silver Olympic medals must be made out of 92.5 percent silver, with the gold medal covered in six grams of gold.'