The Olympics are a time when the whole world comes together for a common goal: to compete and celebrate sport. The Olympic tradition is one that dates back to ancient Greece; and in the modern era, the games’ beginnings do not go forgotten. Every year, Greece is the first team to enter the Olympic arena on the night of the opening ceremonies. This August, for the third time in modern Olympic history, the United Kingdom was the last team to process in London.

Over the course of the next twelve weeks, I will be writing about the moments that defined the Games of the XXX Olympiad. I understand that there are simply too many incredible moments of the games to do all of them justice. I also realize that I am an American citizen, and my views will be clouded by the allegiance I pledged to my flag and my country every day in grade school. It’s not about winning and losing, it’s not about one country’s superiority; it’s about the fantastic displays of the human body combined with the human spirit we find at the Olympic Games.

There is no better, perhaps simply no other, way to begin this reflection than to do so with the opening ceremonies. In a word, they were spectacular. A ceremony lasting for hours into the chilly London night, the celebration featured British history, tradition, and transformation into modern times.

In case you missed it, here’s a skeletal description of the festivities. The opening ceremonies began with a reference to old England, with pastures of sod covering the Olympic Stadium floor. The grass was then peeled away as smoke stacks penetrated the sky, representing the industrial revolution. Later on, the British healthcare system was referenced as hundreds of doctors and nurses carted children around the stage on beds. Later, the modern generation had time to shine, as teens ran around, having a massive party on the world’s biggest stage. Finally, the athletes processed into the arena, country by country.

Thus far, I have left two moments from the night of July 27 out of my rundown. The first is the entrance of Her Majesty the Queen. In a fantastic display of British pride and comedy, the Queen was escorted to the Olympic Stadium by none other than James Bond. 007 and his newest girl entered via parachute to a roaring crowd; most likely roaring with laughter. Now we all no Queen Elizabeth II didn’t really skydive, but the theater of it all was fantastic.

Finally, the ceremonies closed with a bang thanks to none other than Sir Paul McCartney. He played one song. Hey Jude. It might have been the best version of Hey Jude ever sang. The Beatles legend showed that he still has it, and the world showed that they still love it. I recall singing, whistling, or humming Hey Jude for the next two weeks; it was just too special.

Ten thousand volunteers put on the greatest Olympic show I can remember, and probably somewhere near a billion watched it worldwide. The London 2012 motto was “Inspire a Generation,” and the opening ceremonies did just that. In the upcoming weeks we will push into the events that defined these games and inspired the world.