5. The 1936 U.S. Olympic Team Departed from Chelsea for the Games in Berlin
The 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin were one of the most controversial, nicknamed “The Nazi Olympics,” since Adolf Hitler was the Chancellor of then Nazi-ruled Germany. Despite the attempts to boycott the games, the United States and other democratic countries decided to participate. That summer a new name was etched into sport history with American Jesse Owens winning four gold medals in track.
The U.S. Olympic Team left for Munich on the S.S. Manhattan, which departed from Pier 60. Upon their return, the team docked in Chelsea, where huge crowds of people gathered to see Jesse Owens.
See the team arrive back in New York in the video below: