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A Boomer's History of the Winter Olympics

As we get ready for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, here are highlights from past competitions

by Bill Hogan, AARP, February 2014

  • Walt Disney, Squaw Vally Olympics, Boomer Olympic Memories
    Getty

    1960

    Walt Disney produces the opening and closing ceremonies in Squaw Valley, Calif.

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  • Olympic Skier, Jean Claude Killy, Boomers Olympic Memories
    Getty

    1968

    In his native France, heartthrob Jean-Claude Killy wins the triple crown of alpine skiing (downhill, giant slalom and slalom), making him the most recognized skier of his generation.

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  • Olympics 1976, controversy, Colorado, Innsbruck, Austria, Boomers Olympic Memories
    AP

    1972

    Colorado voters reject public funding of the 1976 games, forcing them to be moved from Denver to Innsbruck, Austria, which has maintained infrastructure since hosting the 1964 competition.

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  • Figure Skater, Dorothy Hamill, Boomers Olympic Memories
    Getty

    1976

    American figure skater Dorothy Hamill, 19, sports a perky bobbed hairstyle on her way to winning the gold medal, inspiring throngs of American women to imitate it — and landing her a lucrative contract with Clairol.

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  • A middle aged african-american couple lean against each other and smile with text that reads keep life fun and your calendar full.

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  • US Hockey Team, Miracle On Ice, Boomers Olympic Memories
    AP

    1980

    In a game that will become known as the “Miracle on Ice,” the U.S. men’s hockey team, made up of amateur and collegiate players, defeats the supposedly invincible Soviet team, which has won nearly every world championship and Olympic tournament since 1954.

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  • Ice Dancing, Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean, Boomers Olympic Memories
    Getty

    1984

    Ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean receive 12 perfect 6.0s for their interpretation of Boléro in Sarajevo.

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  • Jamaica, Bobsled, Boomers Olympic Memories
    Corbis

    1988

    In its Olympic debut, the Jamaican bobsled team is disqualified after crashing and finishes last. It later becomes the subject of the 1993 Disney comedy Cool Runnings. A two-man team will compete in Sochi.

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  • Tonya Harding, Nancy Kerrigan, Womens Figure Skating, Boomers Olympic Memories
    AP

    1994

    More than 120 million people tune in to watch U.S. figure skating teammates Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding face off. Kerrigan, who seven weeks earlier had been clubbed in her knee, wins the silver medal; Harding, who later pleads guilty to hindering the investigation of the attack, finishes eighth.

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