On this day in 1948, the Games of the XIV Olympiad began in London. 85,000 spectators crammed into Wembley Stadium on a swelteringly hot day to watch King George VI and Queen Elizabeth open the games.
They were dubbed the Austerity Games, as no stadiums or facilities were built specifically for them. The greyhound track at Wembley was converted into an athletics track, and a temporary boxing ring was built overnight on top of the Olympic swimming pool.
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