Constantine Kondyllis runs the first leg of the very first Olympic torch relay—from Olympia to Berlin in 1936.

Shown with a tall, flare-like extension, the Berlin torch used a magnesium-based solid fuel. But its look mimicked ancient Greek torches, which likely burned oil.

The ancient Greeks did have torch relays during religious festivals in Athens—as seen on Athenian pottery—but not during the ancient Olympics.

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