Super Saturday got off to a sensational start as Britain's rowers claimed two golds and Jessica Ennis continued her march towards Olympic glory.
Cheered by an ecstatic crowd, including silver medallist Zara Phillips and the Princess Royal, the men's coxless four of Andrew Triggs Hodge, Pete Reed, Tom James and Alex Gregory led from the front extending Britain's dominance in the Olympic event to 16 years.
And just minutes later Kat Copeland and Sophie Hosking hugged each other, almost in disbelief, as they claimed gold in the lightweight event.
Great Britain's Katherine Copeland, left, and Sophie Hosking celebrate after winning the gold medal for the lightweight women's rowing
The wins propelled the British team into third position in the medal table with 24 - ten gold, six silver and eight bronze.
The coxless four crew was also cheered on by Lieutenant Reed's fellow sailors and Royal Marines who are embarked on HMS Bulwark providing Games security in Weymouth.
Reed said: "The hours we do, the pain - it was all worth it in the end."
A bewildered Copeland said: "I can't believe this is real - that we just won the Olympics."
Meanwhile Ennis built on her impressive overnight lead in the heptathlon, delighting a capacity crowd in the Olympic Stadium with superb performance in the long jump.
Tens of thousands of British fans left athletes with no doubt over where their hearts lay as they cheered Ennis.
A deafening roar went round the stadium as the heptathlete became one of just two competitors to take more than 1,000 points in the long jump.
The 26-year-old from Sheffield put in a 6.48m effort as many of the crowd were on their feet.
With just the javelin this afternoon and an 800m run tonight to go, Ennis has racked up a 258-point lead as she bids to join Britain's golden girls on top of the podium.
And history was made in the Stadium as South Africa's Oscar Pistorius became the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics and Paralympics, advancing to the semi-final of the 400 metres.
Tom James praised the support at Eton Dorney, adding: "I can't describe what this atmosphere is like. It's beyond words, it's epic, it's magic, it's emotional. The crowd is phenomenal. I'm so excited to be here and so proud."
Britain then missed out on gold by inches in a dramatic lightweight double sculls race which had to be restarted when Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter suffered a problem with a seat in their boat.
A distraught Purchase, who had to be held up by Sir Steve Redgrave, said: "The crowd here has been absolutely amazing."
Hunter said: "We gave everything. We tried everything. We wanted to win so badly. Sorry to everybody we've let down."
The rowing haul of four gold medals, two silvers and three bronze confirms London 2012 as Britain's most successful Olympic regatta ever, surpassing the eight medals, including four golds, won at London 1908.
Earlier, hundreds of thousands of people flooded into central London to watch Helen Jenkins try to win a medal in the triathlon.
With 90% of the viewing areas for the swimming, cycling and running event being non-ticketed, Hyde Park was packed.
Jenkins, who had been unable to train properly leading up to the Games because of injury, could only manage fifth.
"I gave everything, I'm sorry it wasn't a medal," she said.
