ATHLETE

Spyridon Louis

1873 - 1940

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Spyridon Louis (Greek: Σπυρίδων Λούης [spiˈriðon ˈluis], sometimes transliterated Spiridon Loues; 12 January 1873 – 26 March 1940), commonly known as Spyros Louis (Σπύρος Λούης), was a Greek water carrier who won the first modern-day Olympic marathon at the 1896 Summer Olympics. Following his victory, he was celebrated as a national hero. A former soldier, Louis was encouraged to try out for the Olympics by his former commanding officer. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Spyridon Louis has received more than 385,230 page views. His biography is available in 44 different languages on Wikipedia. Spyridon Louis is the 7th most popular athlete, the 163rd most popular biography from Greece (up from 165th in 2019) and the most popular Greek Athlete.

Spyridon Louis is most famous for being the first person to swim across the English Channel.

Memorability Metrics

  • 390k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 64.90

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 44

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 9.31

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 2.55

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among ATHLETES

Among athletes, Spyridon Louis ranks 7 out of 6,025. Before him are Abebe Bikila, Paavo Nurmi, Jesse Owens, Emil Zátopek, Bob Beamon, and Carl Lewis. After him are Dick Fosbury, Ronnie Coleman, Usain Bolt, Fanny Blankers-Koen, Javier Sotomayor, and Ray Ewry.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1873, Spyridon Louis ranks 20. Before him are Karl Schwarzschild, Hans von Euler-Chelpin, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Julius Martov, G. E. Moore, and Max Reger. After him are Sándor Ferenczi, Pavlo Skoropadskyi, William McMaster Murdoch, Francisco I. Madero, Kyösti Kallio, and Max Reinhardt. Among people deceased in 1940, Spyridon Louis ranks 22. Before him are Verner von Heidenstam, Ze'ev Jabotinsky, Isaac Babel, Wladimir Köppen, John Buchan, and Italo Balbo. After him are Paul Gottlieb Nipkow, Julius Wagner-Jauregg, Gerda Wegener, Kyösti Kallio, Lluís Companys, and Vsevolod Meyerhold.

Others Born in 1873

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Others Deceased in 1940

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In Greece

Among people born in Greece, Spyridon Louis ranks 163 out of 1,024. Before him are Pherecydes of Syros (-580), Euclid of Megara (-435), Cleobulus (-590), Aeschines (-389), Cleon (-450), and Crates of Thebes (-365). After him are Craterus (-370), Nicias (-500), Antigonus II Gonatas (-319), Gorgo, Queen of Sparta (-506), Thaïs (-400), and Callisthenes (-360).

Others born in Greece

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Among ATHLETES In Greece

Among athletes born in Greece, Spyridon Louis ranks 1. After him are Leonidas of Rhodes (-200), Coroebus of Elis (-800), Theagenes of Thasos (-500), Stamata Revithi (1866), Charilaos Vasilakos (1877), Dimitrios Golemis (1874), Konstantinos Tsiklitiras (1888), Evangelos Damaskos (1801), Archon of Pella (-400), Miltiadis Gouskos (1877), and Yiannis Kouros (1956).

Greek born Athletes

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