The 1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, in photos
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A view of the opening ceremony at the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. Photo: Pascal Guyot/AFP via Getty Images
Nearly 30 years ago, Atlanta took the world stage and started writing one of the city's most historic chapters: the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Driving the news: On Friday, 10,500 athletes from around the world will open the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics with a twist: They're having a boat parade and extravaganza on the famous River Seine.
Flashback: On July 19, 1996, nearly 90,000 people from around the world opened the centennial Summer Olympics in the city's new stadium built for the global games.
- An estimated 3.5 billion people watched on TV, according to the AJC, making it the most-viewed opening ceremony in Olympics history at the time.
Zoom in: The night was an unforgettable and occasionally psychedelic affair celebrating Atlanta — and the South's past and people that included cheerleaders and a giant mechanical bird.
- Shadow dancers posed, like Greek athletes, performers swirled in oversized green and red costumes, and fireworks erupted with the booming city skyline in the background.
- Then-President Bill Clinton opened the games. Atlanta native Gladys Knight and Celine Dion sang, and "Star Wars" and "Jaws" composer John Williams conducted the music.
The memory: Muhammad Ali, visibly trembling because of Parkinson's Disease, lighting the Olympic flame. An 18-year-old Ali won a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
Fun fact: The ceremony included a custom fleet of chrome Chevrolet pick-up trucks rigged with spotlights.
State of play: Following the games, the Olympic stadium was tweaked to accommodate the Atlanta Braves after Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium became obsolete.
- Today the venue formerly known as Turner Field is now Center Parc Stadium, the home of Georgia State University Panthers football.








