Wembley Stadium

10 Best Olympic Opening Ceremonies Of All Time, Ranked

Tasked with resuming the Olympic cycle after a 12-year hiatus due to war, the London 1948 Opening Ceremony at Wembley Stadium was an austere start to the ‘Austerity Olympics’, but the 85,000-strong crowd eagerly embraced the military and athlete processions and the sight of King George officially kicking off proceedings. A 21-gun salute preceded the lighting of the cauldron, RAF member Donald Finlay read the Olympic Oath, and contemporary British newspaper reports relished details like the stifling heat that left almost every man coatless and many with knotted handkerchiefs on their heads. - Joel Meares