Javelin throw

The javelin was first contested at the eighteenth Olympiad in 708 BC. There were two events, one for distance and one for accuracy and both were part of the pentathlon.

Ancient Olympic javelin throwers would wrap a leather throng around the javelin that would act as a kind of sling, applying spin to the javelin to aid distance.

In the spring of AD 37, Emperor Tiberius took part in a ceremonial game that required him to throw a javelin. He wrenched his shoulder, took to his bed and lapsed into a coma. He died soon afterwards.

Polish javelin thrower Janusz Sidło had set the world record prior to the 1956 Summer Olympics and was favorite to win. In the Olympic final he led the competition with a throw of 79.98 m, but then lent his modern steel javelin to his poorly performing friend, Egil Danielsen from Norway who had a wooden one. Danielsen set a new world record at 85.71 m and won the gold medal. 

Uwe Hohn, a former German track and field athlete, holds the world record for the longest throw in the men's javelin event, with a distance of 104.80 meters. His throw was achieved on June 6, 1984, at the German National Championships in Neubrandenburg. 

Hohn's record was so remarkable that the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) declared it an "Eternal World Record," meaning that it will likely never be broken due to the changes made to the design of the javelin and the rules of the event in 1986. The new design of the javelin reduced its aerodynamic efficiency and made it much more difficult to throw as far as Hohn did.

Country star Garth Brooks went to Oklahoma State University on a javelin throwing scholarship.

After the 2016 Rio Olympics, of the 72 Olympic medals that have been awarded in the men's javelin, 32 have gone to competitors from Norway, Sweden or Finland.

Kenyan javelin thrower Julius Yego, who won Olympic silver at Rio, learned how to throw properly by watching YouTube videos.

Sources  The Observer, Encyclopedia Britannica