79 Days

Who doesn't love a good Olympics-related movie. The heart-warming ones, inspired by true stories like Chariots of Fire, Miracle and Cool Runnings. The utterly ridiculous, like Blades of Glory. And of course my favorite, The Cutting Edge. (I'm still waiting for a real pairs team to attempt the Pamchenko Twist.) Well there's a new one coming out to add to your collection, about British ski jumper Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards who came in last in both of his ski jumping events at the 1988 Winter Olympics. Set to play Edwards is Harry Potter star, Rupert Grint. What's your favorite Olympics movie?

Ever wonder who decided to revive the ancient Olympic Games and turn it into the modern Olympics that we know today? In the 1880's, a Frenchman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin began to promote the idea of sports as a way to maintain health and bring unity and peace to the world. In 1894, de Coubertin gathered 79 delegates from 12 countries to attend an international congress with the purpose of reestablishing the Olympics. The 79 delegates gave de Coubertin the permission to form the International Olympic Committee and get things started again. Two years later the first modern Summer Olympic Games took place in Athens in 1896.

Whistler Mountain, the location of the ski and snowboard events for the 2010 Winter Olympics, lies 79 miles north of Vancouver, the home of all the indoor events.

Fourteen-time Olympic Gold Medalist in swimming, Michael Phelps, has a wingspan of 79 inches. That's equal to about six feet, five inches. Former NBA star Charles Barkley is 6'5. So from finger-tip to finger-tip, Michael Phelps can reach from Barkley's head to his feet. That's nuts.

**UPDATE: Apparently, I can't do math. 79 inches is actually 6 feet, 7 inches (as was so lovingly pointed out to me) which makes Phelps' wingspan longer than his actual height; he's 6'4.

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