The 2012 Olympics marks the third time London has hosted the Summer Games. Rome was scheduled to host the 1908 Games, but when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 1906, London got the relocated competition. When the Olympics resumed after World War II, London was the host in 1948. Now, 64 years later, the Games are back. Here is a comparison to then and now.
| Category | 1948 | 2012 |
| Head of state | King George VI | Queen Elizabeth II, George VI'sdaughter who was 22 in 1948and expecting the future king,Prince Charles |
| London population | 7 million (47 million country) | 8.2 million (62.3 million country) |
| Olympic mascots | None (Weren't used until 1968) | Wenlock & Mandeville |
| Primary venue | Wembley Stadium (82,000seating capacity, $1.2 millionto build or about $15.2 millionin today's dollars) | Olympic Stadium(80,000 seatingcapacity, $759million to build) |
| Six degrees ofseparation to the2012 Dream Team | Bob Kurland, a 7-foot-2 center,played for Henry Iba atOklahoma A&M (nowOklahoma State) | 76ers coach Doug Collins playedfor Iba on the '72 Olympic team.Collins coaches Andre Iguodala,a member of the 2012 team. |
| Most decoratedU.S. athlete | Bob Mathias | Michael Phelps |
| Local connection | Jack Robinson, men'sbasketball, Fort Worth | Dana Vollmer, swimming,Granbury, among others |
| The British Empire | More than 80 colonies | 16 territories |
| Newest nation-state | Israel | South Sudan (Sudan was stilla colony of England in 1948) |
| Newest technologyworldwide | Polaroid camera | i(fill in the blank) |
| Medical break-throughs worldwide | Polio vaccine testing begins,leading to eradication lessthan 50 years later. | Scientistsconfident AIDSvaccine close. |
| Biggest change in thequality of life in UK | A quarter of homes had noelectricity, according toConnected Earth. | 85 percent ofhomes have accessto broadband Internet. |
| Economic themes | Austerity, broken by war | Austerity, recession(s) |
| Leading British authors | Agatha Christie | J.K. Rowling |
| British contributionto world cuisine | Nothing | Nothing |
| Average annual wage, U.S. | $2,950 ($27,000 intoday's dollars) | $45,230(2011 estimate) |
| Cost of a gallon of gas, U.S. | 16 cents | $3.43 |