medal

19 Stories

Olympic Medal Tradition Started in the US

Now, 120 years later, that gold medal is mostly silver

(Newser) - The Olympic Games are nearly 3,000 years old. The gold, silver, and bronze medals awarded, only 120 years. NPR digs into the tradition that feels as long as time, finding it can be traced to an American city. Olympic medals themselves hail from the first occurrence of the modern...

Paris' Olympic Medals Feature a Little Something Special

Yep, that's an actual piece of the Eiffel Tower going home with victorious athletes

(Newser) - An Olympic medal with an inlaid piece of the Eiffel Tower. How's that for a monumental prize? A hexagonal, polished chunk of iron taken from the iconic landmark is being embedded in each gold, silver, and bronze medal that will be hung around athletes' necks at the July 26-Aug....

Elton John's WH Concert Ends With a Big Surprise

President Biden presented 75-year-old singer with National Humanities Medal

(Newser) - Elton John is currently on his farewell tour after a half-century of performing, and he made an extra-special stop on Friday night: the White House. The 75-year-old singer appeared as a guest of President Biden and first lady Jill Biden for a performance meant to help honor "everyday history...

Nobel Winner Sells Medal for Ukraine, Gets Huge Price

Journalist Dmitry Muratov's gold prize went for a staggering $103.5M; proceeds will go to UNICEF

(Newser) - Ukrainian children and their families who've been uprooted from their homes due to the Russian-led invasion are about to get a boost from a benevolent benefactor. Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of Russia's independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper, announced earlier this year that he was selling the gold Nobel Peace Prize...

Meet Patron, Ukraine's Latest War Hero

President Zelensky awards Jack Russell terrier a medal for his mine-sniffing work

(Newser) - A very special awards ceremony was held over the weekend in Kyiv to honor the nation's newest hero amid the Russian invasion: a 2 1/2-year-old dog named Patron, reports the BBC . A medal was bestowed upon the Jack Russell terrier at a Sunday news conference by none other than...

At Tokyo Olympics, a 'Very Significant Change'

Athletes will put on their own medals to protect against COVID

(Newser) - Athletes at the Tokyo Olympics will put their medals around their own necks to protect against spreading the coronavirus. The "very significant change" to traditional medal ceremonies was revealed Wednesday by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, per the AP . "The medals will not be given around the...

Russia Gives Medal to Kim Jong Un
Russia to Kim:
Here, Have a Medal
May 5, 2020 7:44 AM CDT

Russia to Kim: Here, Have a Medal

Moscow has decided to honor Kim Jong Un's commemoration of WWII Soviet soldiers

(Newser) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has given a commemorative World War II medal to the recently resurfaced Kim Jong Un . The North Korean leader was awarded "for his great personal contribution to the commemoration of dead and buried Soviet citizens on the territory of [North Korea] and showing concern about...

Trump Tweets Fake Photo of Military Dog Getting Medal

'Conan' is going to visit White House next week

(Newser) - "AMERICAN HERO," President Trump tweeted Wednesday with a faked photo of himself awarding an honor to the dog injured in the raid that led to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The photo, originally posted by the Daily Wire conservative website, was an altered version of...

Look Who's Getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Babe Ruth, Sheldon Adelson, and Elvis are among them

(Newser) - President Donald Trump has announced his first recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and they include the wife of a major Republican Party donor, the longest-serving Republican senator in US history, Elvis Presley, and Babe Ruth. Trump will also posthumously recognize the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the...

WWII Medal Found Stashed in Maple Tree

Charity to return medal to veteran's son

(Newser) - A Nebraska man is getting a memento of his late father from an odd place: A maple tree in Vermont. Robert G. Woody's 1945 Good Conduct Medal, awarded after he served in the Pacific theater throughout World War II, was found stashed in the tree along with assorted other...

Vatican Misspells Jesus —on 6K Medals

FYI Vatican officials, it's Jesus, not Lesus

(Newser) - You'd think if anyone was going to misspell the name of God's son, it wouldn't be the Vatican. But some 6,000 gold, silver, and bronze medals to commemorate Pope Francis have been recalled after a misspelling in a Latin phrase turned Jesus into Lesus, der Spiegel ...

Pentagon Drops Drone-Pilot Medal

Award angered veterans, drone opponents

(Newser) - The Pentagon has nixed a new medal for drone pilots before anyone was nominated for it. The Distinguished Warfare Medal, announced by Leon Panetta just before he left the Pentagon, angered veterans as well as those taking issue with drone tactics, the Washington Post reports. A veterans' petition hit the...

Broke Army Vet Sells Medal on eBay

Bill Shephard takes heat from sergeant upset by sale

(Newser) - An out-of-work veteran has found an enterprising means of supporting his family and starting a new business: selling his Army medal. It went for $5,200 on eBay today, skyrocketing from $2,000 a few hours earlier, My Fox Washington reports. "When i saw the amount that was posted...

US Veterans to Return Medals at NATO Protest

Controversial move intended to protest the war on terror

(Newser) - A group of 30 to 50 US veterans from the post-9/11 era intend to return their service medals this Sunday to protest a war on terror they say they no longer believe in. The veterans plan to lead an anti-war march on a NATO summit in Chicago, carrying American flags,...

Should Fake Military Boasts Be a Crime?

They currently can be, and the Supreme Court will weigh in on the subject

(Newser) - Since 2006, lying about military valor—claiming to have received a prestigious medal, for instance—could result in prosecution. But that could change after this Wednesday, when the Supreme Court reviews the Stolen Valor Act. Proponents of the law, which include the Obama administration, say it prevents fraud. Such liars...

Military May Give Medal for Avoiding Combat

Honor for not shooting would be unique

(Newser) - The US military is considering a medal for soldiers who show restraint in order to save civilian lives. The honor would celebrate "courageous restraint" in the line of duty—incidences in which soldiers hold their fire. While the idea of an award for not shooting might seem paradoxical, "...

Iran Takes Nobel Winner's Peace Prize

It's never happened before, say outraged officials in Norway

(Newser) - In what would be a dastardly first, Norway has accused Iranian authorities of stealing a Nobel Peace Prize. The prize belongs to Iranian national Shirin Ebadi, a human rights lawyer who received the honor in 2003. “The medal and the diploma have been removed from Dr. Ebadi’s bank...

Fake Marine Busted After Reunion
Fake Marine Busted
 After Reunion
Nov 13, 2009 2:30 AM CST

Fake Marine Busted After Reunion

Banker shows off chestful of medals to old classmates

(Newser) - A man who'd been a nerdy, unathletic band member at his California high school shocked classmates recently by turning up at his 20th reunion as a highly decorated Marine. Classmates were duly impressed by Steve Burton's transformation, but one, now a Navy commander, was so stunned by Burton's chestful of...

Britain Bumps Medal Count on Day 11
 Britain Bumps 
 Medal Count on Day 11 
OLYMPICS
Aug 19, 2008 5:19 PM CDT

Britain Bumps Medal Count on Day 11

3 more golds give 2012 host nation total of 16, best haul since 1908

(Newser) - Britain’s Olympic team added a 16th gold medal today, a total not seen since the 1908 Games, Reuters reports. Christine Ohuruogu took first in the women’s 400 meters—the country’s first track victory in Beijing. Bahrain’s Rashid Ramzi won the men’s 1,500 meters, giving...

19 Stories