The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero will kick off 100 days from today (April 27). The event will bring together athletes from around the world, and draw the attentions of millions, perhaps even billions of people.
As we look ahead to Rio 2016, here are 100 facts about the Brazil, the Olympics, and Rio 2016:
1. The Rio Olympic Games will take place August 5-21.
2. This will be the first Olympic Games in South America.
3. Past Summer Games were held in North America (6), Europe (16), Asia (3), and Oceania (2).
4. Rio beat out Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo to win the bid in 2009.
Road to Rio:
• 100 things to know about Rio, games
• QUIZ: Test your knowledge
• PHOTOS: Sights of Rio
• WEATHER: Current conditions in Rio
5. At the time of the bid, the organizing committee estimated costs of R$4.5 billion (in Brazilian reals).
6. Now, organizers estimate expenses (and revenue) at R$7.4 billion.
7. Forty percent of the revenue will come from local sponsors, with another 25 percent from the IOC.
8. Around 10,500 athletes from 206 countries are expected to take part.
9. Organizers expect to prepare 60,000 meals a day for athletes.
10. Meals will include Brazilian staples such as rice and beans, barbecued meat, pao de queijo (cheese bread) and acai.
11. Over the course of 17 days, there will be 306 medal events in Rio.
12. The Rio Olympics will include 136 women's medal events, 161 men's events and nine mixed events.
13. There are two new sports this year: Rugby and golf.
14. The last time golf was included in the Olympic games was 112 years ago.
15. Rugby was last included in 1924 -- and the U.S. won gold that year.
16. The only sports that have been included in every Summer Olympics are track and field, swimming, cycling, fencing and gymnastics.
17. Tug of war was a contested event at Modern Olympic Games between 1900 and 1920.
18. Olympic archers aim at a target that is 70 meters away -- that is about three-quarters of the length of a football field, which is just over 90 meters.
19. Track and Field competition includes 47 events -- 24 for men and 23 for women.
20. American Michael Phelps, who first swam in the 2004 Olympics, holds the record for most medals won by any man or woman with 22, including 18 gold medals.
21. He also set a record for most gold medals won in a single games with eight in 2008.
22. Two Americans won medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
23. Edward Eagen had a gold in boxing and another in bobsled between 1920 and 1932.
24. Lauryn Williams was a member of the gold medal winning 4x100m relay team in 2012, a silver medalist in the 100m in 2014, and took home a silver medal in bobsled from the Sochi Games.
25. The youngest known medalist was a French coxswain for a Dutch pairs rowing team in 1900. The young boy’s exact age and name is not known, but it’s believed he was between 7 and 12 years old.
26. However, if the boy was 11 or 12, the youngest known medalist is a Greek gymnast. Dimitrios Loundras won bronze in team parallel bars in 1896 at 10 years, 218 days old.
27. Thirty-two competition venues are spread out across four regions of Rio de Janeiro: Deodoro, Maracana, Barra, and Copacabana.
28. Copacabana's world famous beaches will host beach volleyball.
29. Aquatics, BMX, and equestrian competitions will take place in Deodoro.
30. Maracanã has two large stadiums, including one that will host the opening and closing ceremonies and soccer matches.
31. Sambódromo is the home of the Carnival parade and will host the Olympic marathon and Olympic and Paralympic archery events.
32. Barra houses the Olympic Park, the Olympic and Paralympic Village, Athletes’ Park and 15 competition venues.
33. Nine different venues will make up the Olympic Park, including seven that will be maintained after the Games.
34. To house the games, Rio will rely on existing facilities, 10 new facilities and a handful of temporary venues.
35. There are plenty of affordable tickets. There are a total of 7.5 million tickets available.
36. There are tickets for all 28 Olympic sports, plus the opening and closing ceremonies.
37. 3.8 million tickets cost $30 or less, with the least expensive at less than $20.
38. Tickets to the more popular events, like swimming, start at about $100 and can run up to $350 for the finals.
39. So far the most popular events are soccer, basketball, volleyball, and handball, according to NBC News.
40. The first ancient Olympic Games took place in 776 B.C. in Olympia, Greece. They were suspended in 392 A.D.
41. Fifteen hundred years later, the modern Olympic Games took place in Athens, Greece, in 1896.
42. Only men competed in 1896, with 280 competitors taking part in the Games.
43. The first edition of the Modern Olympics featured 43 events in nine sports: track and field, cycling (road and track), fencing, artistic gymnastics, shooting, swimming, tennis,
44. Women were included in the Olympics for the first time in 1900 in Paris.
45. That year, 22 women competed in five sports: tennis, croquet, sailing, equestrian, and golf.
46. In 2012, 44 percent of the athletes in London were women.
47. The Summer and Winter Games have been held separately since 1994 and have alternated every two years.
48. The Winter Olympics debuted in 1924.
49. That same year also featured the first closing ceremonies.
50. The Olympic Games were canceled in 1916 due to World War I and in 1940 and 1944 due to World War II.
51. The torch symbolizes the link between the ancient and modern Olympic Games.
52. The torch relay began April 21 in Olympia, Greece -- the Games' birthplace.
53. For the first time, the torch has moving parts.
54. On April 26, Ibrahim Al-Hussein, a Syrian refugee who now resides in Athens, will carry the Olympic flame through the a migrant camp.
55. The Rio Olympic torch will travel through 329 Brazilian towns and cities.
56. The torch will begin its 95-day journey through Brazil on May 3.
57. Organizers estimate 90% of the country's population will be able to see the torch.
58. Approximately 12,000 people will serve as torch bearers.
59. Each will carrying the torch for about 200 meters.
60. The opening and closing ceremonies will be held in Maracanã Stadium, which has a current capacity of 78,000.
61. The stadium holds a world record for most fans to ever attend a soccer game. In 1950, 173,000 fans crowded in to watch the World Cup final.
62. In 2014, Rio hosted the Men’s World Cup, with the final match played in Maracanã Stadium.
63. The Rio Games will have its first team of refugee athletes competing under the Olympic flag. The IOC expects five to 10 athletes who were forced to flee their countries to qualify and compete.
64. The Rio mascot "Vinicius" is a yellow and blue character that represents Brazilian wildlife. It was named after musician Vinicius de Moraes, who wrote "The Girl from Ipanema."
65. Olympic organizers say they hold to raise 1 billion reais ($398 million) in merchandising with Vinicius' help.
66. Around 45,000 volunteers, 85,000 outsourced staff, and 6,500 employees will make the games possible.
67. The Olympic motto is "Citius, altius, fortius." (Faster, higher, stronger.)
68. The Olympic rings represent the union of Africa, America, Asia, Oceania and Europe,as well as the meeting of the athletes from around the world at the Games.
69. Brazil requires all U.S. citizens carry a valid passport and visa to visit. You'll have to get your visa in advance at a Brazilian embassy or consulate. There are no airport visas.
70. Rio de Janeiro translates to "River of January" in Portuguese. The name comes from Portuguese explorers who reached it on January 1, 1502.
71. However, the city's nickname is Cidade Maravilhosa or "the marvelous city."
72. There is actually no river in Rio. It was a mistake. The explorer who landed there, Gaspar de Lemos, anchored in a huge bay and mistakenly thought it was the mouth of a river.
73. Brazil became an independent nation on September 7, 1822, ending its status as a Portuguese colony.
74. Rio is the second-most populated city in Brazil. Sao Paulo is number one.
75. The country’s capital is Brasília, though it was Rio de Janeiro until 1960.
76. Brazil is made up of 26 states and one federal district.
77. Portuguese is the official language of the country.
78. The most common religion is Roman Catholicism, which is practiced by over 64% of the population.
79. Brazil ranks fifth in the world for population and size.
80. It’s estimated population as of 2015 was 204,259,812, according to the CIA World Factbook.
81. The phase “Order and Progress” (“Ordem e Progresso”) appears on the country’s flag.
82. Brazil’s national colors are green, yellow, and blue -- as seen on its flag.
83. Brazil joined the United Nations on October 24, 1945.
84. The Brazilian wax originated on the beaches of Rio when the thong bikini came into fashion.
85. However, local women didn't call it a Brazilian -- that term was coined by a Manhattan salon.
86. There are more than 30 miles of beaches in Rio.
87. In Brazil, the term "motel" usually refers to places that serve as romantic rendezvous spots. In a country where many people live with their parents, love motels cater to couples looking for some privacy.
88. Brazil's national drink is the Caipirinha (pronounced kai-pee-rin-yah). It's a mix of Cachaca -- a Brazilian distilled liquor -- sugar and lime.
89. While the real origin of the drink is unknown, according to one story, it started in 1918 as a cure for patients with Spanish flu. Back then, the original recipe included lime, garlic and honey.
90. The Christ the Redeemer statue was built in 1922 and took nine years to complete.
91. In 2008 the statue was damaged when it was struck by lightning.
92. It's the 5th largest statue of Jesus in the world and has been named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
93. Did you know prostitution is legal in Rio? It became a legalized profession in 2000.
94. Rio's Carnival is one of the best known parties in the world in a tradition was brought by Portuguese immigrants.
95. Carnival fun fact: In 2011, 89 million condoms were given out during the festival.
96. The highlight of the four-day event is the samba parade.
97. Approximately 970,000 tourists visited Rio during Carnival in 2015.
98. The samba was born in Rio at the end of the 19th century, as a combination of Brazilian and Afro-Brazilian beats and moves.
99. Each year the city's samba schools compete against each other during Carnival.
100. The song Girl from Ipanema was inspired by an actual girl who's name was Helo. Legend has it the composers Antonio Carlos Jobim and poet Vinicius de Moraes were so inspired by the 18-year-old beauty they wrote it on bar napkins.
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