Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937), founder of the modern Olympics. Coubertin was born in Paris as Pierre de Fredy. His family obtained the name and title of Baron de Coubertin when they bought an estate near Versailles. Coubertin developed an interest in the role of sports in education and personal development, and in 1894 he organised an international congress to reinstate the ancient Olympic Games. This led to the founding of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, in 1896. Photographed in 1915. This photograph is from the Bain News Service, one of the USA's earliest news picture libraries.