A Brief History of the Opening Ceremonies
Michael Probst / AP
Atlanta, 1996
Three-time world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali had been to the Olympics before as a gold-medal-winning athlete at the 1960 Summer Games in Rome. In 1996 he returned, despite being in a noticeably advanced stage of Parkinson's disease, and lit the torch to start the events.
Get the Latest Photos from Time.com
Get TIME photos and pictures of the week delivered directly to your inbox.