Olympics held in United States | Sporting News
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Olympics held in United States
From 1904 in St. Louis through 2002 in Salt Lake City, these were the events that drew the sports world to America.  (Getty Images)(AP Photos)
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St. Louis 1904 Summer Games
Archie Hahn, known as the Milwaukee Meteor, won the 60-meter, 100-meter and 200-meter sprint. In the 200, he ran an Olympic record time of 21.6 seconds, which stood for 28 years. The Games were lost amid the St. Louis World's Fair and took more than four months to compete. Many events were held at Washington University. (Chicago Historical Society)
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Lake Placid 1932 Winter Games
Lake Placid was a New York winter resort of 4,000 when it was awarded the Games, so this was the biggest thing to happen there until the 1980 Games. This was the first time the Olympics used American-style group events in speed skating. (AP Photo)
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Lake Placid 1932 Winter Games
Sonja Henie of Norway repeated as gold-medal winner in figure skate at Lake Placid. Elegance and grace helped Henie win more world and Olympic medals than any competitor. After her career, she became a popular Hollywood movie star. (AP Photo)
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Lake Placid 1932 Winter Games
American Eddie Eagan holds a unique place in Olympic history. In 1920 in Antwerp, he had won the Summer Games light-heavyweight boxing title. In Lake Placid, was a member of the four-man bobsled team that won gold. Here in a Yale sweater, Eagan displays one of his trophies. (AP Photo)
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Los Angeles 1932 Summer Games
With the Depression raging and participation light, Los Angeles didn't get the full field of Olympic participants. Being on the West Coast didn't help draw crowds. Still, the Coliseum was central site for the Games, with an opening ceremony on July 30. These Olympics began the template for modern competition. (AP Photo)
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Los Angeles 1932 Summer Games
Mildred "Babe" Didrikson, right, of Dallas, clears the first hurdle on her way winning the first heat of the 80-meter hurdles in 11.8 seconds, breaking the Olympic record of 12.2 seconds. The greatest female athlete of her time, she entered eight events, won five and set four world records. (AP Photo)
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Squaw Valley 1960 Winter Games
An idyllic location in the Sierra Nevada range, Squaw Valley helped bring the Winter Games into the television era. One particular innovation: Unable to decide a race winner among themselves, judges asked CBS to replay a videotape of the finish. And that was the start of instant replay. This also would be the only Winter Games without bobsled racing. With only nine nations entered, organizers refused to build a track. (AP Photo)
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Squaw Valley 1960 Winter Games
They were the underdogs on home ice, playing a fearsome opponent clad in red that expected to sweep to the gold medal. Sound familiar? The U.S. hockey team had won silver in '56, but the Russians and Canadians were expected to roll over all competition. Jack McCartan in goal and Billy and Roger Christian helped deliver this miracle on the ice of California by beating the Czechs for the gold. (AP Photo)
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Lake Placid 1980 Winter Games
Minnesota speed skater Eric Heiden received the gold medal after winning the 1,500-meter race. Before the Games were over, he swept the five Olympic distances — and set records in each event. From 500 meters to 10,000 meters, nobody was better than Heiden. As great as his achievement was, it became lost in history. (Getty Images)
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Lake Placid 1980 Winter Games
Where were you when they beat the Soviets? It was arguably the biggest upset in Olympic history. Where were you when they beat Sweden for gold? A nation worn down by world events rose in unison to chant "U-S-A! U-S-A!" We believe in miracles because we saw it, this ragtag group of college players stopping the Red Machine. No Olympics since has created passion to rival the outpouring for the U.S. hockey team and its singular accomplishment. (Getty Images)
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Los Angeles 1984 Summer Games
It was perfect in that incredible Southern California style. The weather, the competition, the performances. All that was missing was the Soviet Union and his lackies, which boycotted the Games to retaliate for the U.S. 1980 snub. Still, U.S. athletes and those from the free world provided a showcase that live TV embraces and its audience adored. (Getty Images)
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Los Angeles 1984 Summer Games
Before there was Usain Bolt, there was Carl Lewis. The world's fastest human would win four gold medals in L.A., matching the achievements of Jesse Owens in Berlin. And yet, Lewis didn't win instant admiration. It was the age of endorsement, and while Lewis had the requisite personality he also suffered from braggadocio. (Getty Images)
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Los Angeles 1984 Summer Games
Denied an opportunity to compete at Moscow, Louganis won the springboard and platform competition in Los Angeles, a feat he would repeat in 1988. His L.A. Games scores set records. It was not until after the '88 Games that Louganis disclosed he was HIV positive. (Getty Images)
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1996 Summer Games in Atlanta
Torch-lighting ceremonies always bring a great athlete the act of honor. In Atlanta, it was "The Greatest." No one knew who would ignite the flame until the spotlight revealed Muhammad Ali. Atlanta would bring splendid competition but also controversy, including a bombing at the Olympic plaza, cost overruns and allegations of bribery to secure rights for the event host. (AP Photo)
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Atlanta 1996 Summer Games
Brightly colour dancers perform during the Opening Ceremony of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia on July 19, 1996.  (Getty Images)
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Atlanta 1996 Summer Games
Michael Johnson picked up where Carl Lewis left off, dominating sprint events. He won gold in the 200 and 400 meters. His feat was a first; his 200 a record. This, despite a running style that defied convention with short, choppy steps. (Getty Images)
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Atlanta 1996 Summer Games
Gymnastics gained popularity in the United States, and it was because of The Magnificent Seven. From left, Kerri Strug, Jaycie Phelps, Dominique Moceanu, Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Amy Chow and Amanda Borden won the team event, highlighted by great performances and an Olympic moment. Strug, having injured an ankle, landed a vault that won America's heart. (Getty Images)
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Salt Lake 2002 Winter Games
Hockey fans were itching for this gold-medal game. Canada, stung by a U.S. victory in the World Cup of Hockey, put together a Hall of Fame lineup for the second Olympiad in which NHL players were allowed. Mario Lemieux and his teammates got the better of Mike Richter's Americans in the final. It was the U.S. team's first loss on Olympic home ice. (Getty Images)
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Salt Lake 2002 Winter Games
Vonetta Flowers and Jill Bakken won gold in the women's bobsled competition. Flowers became the first black athlete to earn winter gold. (Getty Images)
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