The lighting of the Olympic Torch during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics was probably the most dramatic in the history of the Games. Paralympic archer Antonio Rebollo lit his arrow from a burning torch, fired it into the night sky and set the Olympic Flame alight when it landed on the cauldron. Or did it? Watch the video clip below.

From this camera angle, it looks like the burning arrow really landed on the cauldron. Many people who saw the footage on TV live are still surprised to learn that the arrow actually missed its mark. (Read it in the 1996 Barcelona Olympics Wikipedia entry or this current article in the London Times.)

Of course, this is not the same fakery in the Beijing Olympics that others are pointing out but there are still a lot of people who think the arrow found its mark, like this Yahoo blogger (of all people) and countless other Youtube posters.

As the flaming arrow moved towards the cauldron, I, along with everyone watching the Opening Ceremony, hoped beyond all hope that the arrow would hit the target. I even found myself doing the Carlton Fisk “STAY FAIR!” arm-waving. Thankfully, the arrow hit the target, the cauldron burst into flames, and the crowd went wild.