Spanning from July until the end of November, the 1904 Olympic Games were one of the main attractions during the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. Owing to the current political climate, few countries outside of the Americas attended the games, which were dominated by the United States athletes. Some of the major highlights of the games included:
- American George Eyser winning six medals (two gold, three silver and one bronze) in gymnastic events despite having a wooden left leg.
- A grueling six day golf tournament that concluded with Francis Newton winning gold after Chandler Egan's birdie attempt stopped inches short of the cup on the 18th green.
- Harry Hillman winning the gold medal in the 200m and 400m hurdles while also winning the 400m flat race.
- The marathon had several events throughout its running that will be remembered for as long as the Olympics take place. First, Frederick Lorz was assumed to have won the event, only for it to be revealed that he had ridden in his coach's car for nine miles of the race. The eventual winner, Thomas Hicks, appeared to be on the verge of death and was almost carried to the finish line by his coaches. Len Taunyane, a South African runner, was chased off the course for a mile by wild dogs and would eventually finish in 14th place. Less than half the runners finished the race, owing in large part to thick clouds of dirt that were being stirred up by residential traffic and a lack of water on the course itself.
To see all the winners and the final medal count, please see the list of events below.