| Jesse Owens' Hitler Oak | |
|---|---|
| “I let my feet spend as little time on the ground as possible. From the air, fast down, and from the ground, fast up.” | |
|
Origin |
Jesse Owens |
|
Type |
Oak Tree |
|
Effects |
Furthers abilities they already excel at beyond peak measurement |
|
Downsides |
Deprivation of maintaining steady work |
|
Activation |
Official competition placement, proximity |
|
Collected by |
Warehouse 13 |
|
Section |
|
|
Aisle |
Arbor-41072E |
|
Date of Collection |
June 26, 1974 |
| [Source] | |
Origin[]
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games. Owens specialized in the sprints and the long jump and was recognized in his lifetime as "perhaps the greatest and most famous athlete in track and field history". He set three world records and tied another, all in less than an hour, at the 1935 Big Ten track meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan—a feat that has never been equaled and has been called "the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport".
He achieved international fame at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, by winning four gold medals: 100 meters, long jump, 200 meters, and 4 × 100-meter relay. He was the most successful athlete at the Games and, as a black American man, was credited with "single-handedly crushing Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy". As recognition, he was given four English oak saplings, one for each Olympic gold medal, from the German Olympic Committee. One was planted at the University of Southern California, one at Rhodes High School in Cleveland, where he trained, and one is rumored to be on the Ohio State University campus but has yet to be identified. The fourth tree was at the home of Jesse Owens's mother but was removed when the house was demolished.
In Germany, Owens had been allowed to travel with and stay in the same hotels as whites, at a time when African Americans in many parts of the United States had to stay in segregated hotels that accommodated only blacks. When Owens returned to the United States, he was greeted in New York City by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia with a Manhattan ticker-tape parade. After the parade, Owens was not permitted to enter through the main doors of the Waldorf Astoria New York and instead forced to travel up to the reception honoring him in a freight elevator. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) never invited Jesse Owens to the White House following his triumphs at the Olympic Games.
Owens was prohibited from making appearances at amateur sporting events to bolster his profile, and he found out that the commercial offers had all but disappeared. In 1937, he briefly toured with a twelve-piece jazz band but found it unfulfilling. Owens later worked as a sports commentator, black baseball league founder, gas station attendant, playground janitor and dry cleaner to little consolation. Sinc work was difficult to obtain, Owens would often sprint against cars, bikes and horses for cash winnings. The position he kept most consistent with was a goodwill ambassador from the 50s-80s promoting American soft power.
Effects[]
Increases existing strengths even further beyond past training and natural talent. It must be an action or study they’ve already placed effort into, not something new to discover for the first time. When measured, all their results will be simply better than what has been achievable to most experts. Training further will continuously reinforce their skill even after deactivation.
Leaves the user unable to find steady career paths, even with said success they accomplish. External events will always hamper them to force living vastly below their means, having to constantly find new work or being simply avoided. Having unbelievable strength makes some search for flaws in the hopes a perfect being is not lording over their aspirations.
See Also[]