Rowing for Olympic Gold | American Experience | PBS (2024)

Radios across the world were tuned in on August 14, 1936 when nine working-class boys from the University of Washington took gold at Hitler's Olympics. The Nazi dictator watched from the stands as the UW rowers found their swing—or perfect harmony—after years of preparation during the worst times of the Great Depression.

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  Radios across the world were tuned in on August 14, 1936 when nine working-class boys from the University of Washington took gold at Hitler's Olympics.