Man, 1996 was a very different time. The Spice Girls were just starting to blow up.

Tim Roney / Getty Images
Dial-up internet was still a thing.

AOL / Via youtube.com
And the United States hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics down in Atlanta, Georgia.

Kevin Fleming / Getty Images
Atlanta beat out Greece for the '96 Games in a 51–35 vote by the International Olympic Committee.
Michael Phelps was 11 years old at the time.

Tom Pennington / Getty Images
Ryan Lochte had never tweeted.

And Simone Biles HADN'T BEEN BORN YET.

instagram.com
She was born in 1997, MORE THAN A YEAR LATER.
But, regardless, it was still extremely cool. The opening ceremony was a big, gorgeous ordeal...

Jérôme Prevost / Getty Images
...with more than a little bit of theatrics.

Franck Seguin / Getty Images
And Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic flame.

Michael Cooper / Getty Images
The mascot was, uhh...

Ken Levine / Getty Images
...well, it was originally called “Whatizit” but that was shortened to "Izzy."

Michel Gangne / AFP / Getty Images
The name "Izzy" was picked by 32 American children, aged 7 to 12.
It was the first year at the Olympics for women's soccer...

David E. Klutho / Getty Images
...and Team USA won the gold against China in the women's soccer final.

Franck Seguin / Getty Images
It was also the first year that beach volleyball, mountain biking, and lightweight rowing were included in the games.

Franck Seguin / Getty Images
Michael Johnson became the only man in history to win gold in both the 200- and 400-meter sprints...

Wally Mcnamee / Getty Images
...and set new world records for both.

Wally Mcnamee / Getty Images
Deon Hemmings won the gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles, becoming the first Jamaican woman to medal Olympic gold in an individual event.

Wally Mcnamee / Getty Images
US swimmer Amy Van Dyken became the first American woman to win four gold medals in a single Olympic Games.

Simon Bruty / Getty Images
Turkish weightlifter Naim Suleymanoglu, standing at 4 feet and 8 inches, broke his own record and became the first weightlifter to win gold at three different Olympics.

Simon Bruty / Getty Images
The US men's Olympic basketball team, AKA Dream Team II, achieved a perfect 8–0 record and beat Yugoslavia for the gold.

Nathaniel S. Butler / Getty Images
Lilia Podkopayeva of Ukraine won the individual all-around gold in women's gymnastics...

Daniel Garcia / AFP / Getty Images
...and an injured Kerri Strug overcame an ankle injury and stuck her final vault...

Doug Pensinger / Getty Images
...earning the US its first ever women's Olympic gold medal in gymnastics.

Mike Powell / Getty Images
Ahh, memories.

NBC

Mollie Shafer-Schweig / Via BuzzFeed
The opening ceremony begins Friday, Aug. 5, at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 CT on NBC. Click here for more Olympics content!
Sign up for BuzzFeed's Rio Roundup newsletter to get the hottest news each day of the games!
If you can't see the signup box above, just go here to sign up!