On July 19, 1996, the OLYMPHILEX stamp show opened in Atlanta, Georgia. The 1996 Olympic Games marked an important anniversary – 100 years since the start of the modern Olympic Games. The Ancient Olympic Games were held between 776 BC and 394 AD, when Theodosius I abolished them. More than 1,500 years later, Pierre de Coubertin arranged for the first modern Olympics to be held in 1896. He believed that friendly athletic competition could promote world peace. Those first games consisted of 285 athletes, representing 13 nations, competing in 42 events. The games were a success and became an international tradition.