Winter Olympics History: Part I

2. The first Winter Olympic Games took place in Chamonix, France in 1924. When were the first figure skating gold medals awarded?

• 1908
  That's right. Figure skating actually made its Olympic debut at the 1908 London Summer Games, where Sweden's Ulrich Salchow won the men's singles title and Britain's Madge Byers won the ladies singles gold.
• 1924
  No, figure skating actually made its Olympic debut at the 1908 London Summer Games, where Sweden's Ulrich Salchow won the men's singles title and Britain's Madge Byers won the ladies singles gold.
• 1928
  No, figure skating actually made its Olympic debut at the 1908 London Summer Games, where Sweden's Ulrich Salchow won the men's singles title and Britain's Madge Byers won the ladies singles gold.
• 1932
  No, figure skating actually made its Olympic debut at the 1908 London Summer Games, where Sweden's Ulrich Salchow won the men's singles title and Britain's Madge Byers won the ladies singles gold.

3. American Edward Eagan is the only athlete to win gold medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Gamess. He won a gold medal at the 1920 Antwerp Summer Games in boxing and gold at the 1932 Lake Placid Games in what event?

• Downhill skiing
  Sorry, no. Eagan won gold as part of the USA's four-man bobsled team.
• Cross-country skiing
  Sorry, no. Eagan won gold as part of the USA's four-man bobsled team.
• Bobsled
  That's right! Eagan won gold as part of the USA's four-man bobsled team.
• Ice hockey
  Sorry, no. Eagan won gold as part of the USA's four-man bobsled team.

4. While skiing has been a part of the Winter Games since 1924, alpine, or downhill, events weren't added until what year?

• 1928
  Sorry, no. Until 1936, resistance by the bloc of Scandinavian countries had successfully blocked downhill skiing from the list of events.
• 1932
  Sorry, no. Until 1936, resistance by the bloc of Scandinavian countries had successfully blocked downhill skiing from the list of events.
• 1936
  Correct. Until 1936, resistance by the bloc of Scandinavian countries had successfully blocked downhill skiing from the list of events.
• 1940
  Sorry, no. Until 1936, resistance by the bloc of Scandinavian countries had successfully blocked downhill skiing from the list of events.

5. What was the first year that female athletes could compete in events other than figure skating at a Winter Olympic Games?

• 1928
  No, it wasn't until the 1948 Winter Games at St. Moritz that women were permitted to compete in another event. It was skiing.
• 1932
  Not quite. It wasn't until the 1948 Winter Games at St. Moritz that women were permitted to compete in another event. It was skiing.
• 1948
  That's right. It wasn't until the 1948 Winter Games at St. Moritz that women were permitted to compete in another event. It was skiing.
• 1956
  No, it wasn't until the 1948 Winter Games at St. Moritz that women were permitted to compete in another event. It was skiing.

6. The lighting of the Olympic flame at the Winter Games did not become a tradition until when?

• 1936
  No, the Olympic flame was lit for the first time at the 1952 Winter Games in Oslo, Norway. However, unlike the flame for the Summer Games which is lit each time in Greece the ancient home of the Games, this flame was lit in the hearth of the Morgedal House in Norway, birthplace of Sondre Norheim, the great pioneer of modern skiing.
• 1952
  Correct. The Olympic flame was lit for the first time at the 1952 Winter Games in Oslo, Norway. However, unlike the flame for the Summer Games which is lit each time in Greece the ancient home of the Games, this flame was lit in the hearth of the Morgedal House in Norway, birthplace of Sondre Norheim, the great pioneer of modern skiing.
• 1956
  No, the Olympic flame was lit for the first time at the 1952 Winter Games in Oslo, Norway. However, unlike the flame for the Summer Games which is lit each time in Greece the ancient home of the Games, this flame was lit in the hearth of the Morgedal House in Norway, birthplace of Sondre Norheim, the great pioneer of modern skiing.
• 1932
  No, the Olympic flame was lit for the first time at the 1952 Winter Games in Oslo, Norway. However, unlike the flame for the Summer Games which is lit each time in Greece the ancient home of the Games, this flame was lit in the hearth of the Morgedal House in Norway, birthplace of Sondre Norheim, the great pioneer of modern skiing.

7. Which of the following countries has hosted the most Winter Olympic Games?

• France
  No, it is the United States, which has played host to the Winter Olympics four times. Squaw Valley, CA (1960); Lake Placid, NY (1932 and 1980) and Salt Lake City (2002.)
• Switzerland
  No, it is the United States, which has played host to the Winter Olympics four times. Squaw Valley, CA (1960); Lake Placid, NY (1932 and 1980) and Salt Lake City (2002.)
• United States
  You got it! The United States has played host to the Winter Olympics four times. Squaw Valley, CA (1960); Lake Placid, NY (1932 and 1980) and Salt Lake City (2002.)
• Japan
  No, it is the United States, which has played host to the Winter Olympics four times. Squaw Valley, CA (1960); Lake Placid, NY (1932 and 1980) and Salt Lake City (2002.)

8. What nation made a highly successful Winter Olympic debut at the 1956 Games in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy?

• Czechoslovakia
  No, it was the Soviet Union. The Soviets competed at the 1952 Summer Games but skipped Oslo in 1952. They finished first in the medal standings in Cortina, finishing with 16 medals, five more than second-place Austria.
• East Germany
  No, it was the Soviet Union. The Soviets competed at the 1952 Summer Games but skipped Oslo in 1952. They finished first in the medal standings in Cortina, finishing with 16 medals, five more than second-place Austria.
• West Germany
  No, it was the Soviet Union. The Soviets competed at the 1952 Summer Games but skipped Oslo in 1952. They finished first in the medal standings in Cortina, finishing with 16 medals, five more than second-place Austria.
• Soviet Union
  Correct. The Soviets competed at the 1952 Summer Games but skipped Oslo in 1952. They finished first in the medal standings in Cortina, finishing with 16 medals, five more than second-place Austria.

9. The 1964 Innsbruck Winter Games saw which of the following Olympic firsts?

• Computers were used to compile figure skating scores
  Close -- all answers are true. IBM brought $2.5 million worth of computer equipment and drastically cut the wait time for scores to be released from several hours to just minutes. Also Soviet speed Skater Lidia Skoblikova won gold in the 500, 1000, 1500 and 3000-meter events. And French sister-skiers Christine and Marielle Goitschel were the top two finishers, 1-2 and 2-1, respectively, in the women's slalom and giant slalom.
• Four golds were won by a single athlete
  Close -- all answers are true. IBM brought $2.5 million worth of computer equipment and drastically cut the wait time for scores to be released from several hours to just minutes. Also Soviet speed Skater Lidia Skoblikova won gold in the 500, 1000, 1500 and 3000-meter events. And French sister-skiers Christine and Marielle Goitschel were the top two finishers, 1-2 and 2-1, respectively, in the women's slalom and giant slalom.
• Sisters won gold medals
  Close -- all answers are true. IBM brought $2.5 million worth of computer equipment and drastically cut the wait time for scores to be released from several hours to just minutes. Also Soviet speed Skater Lidia Skoblikova won gold in the 500, 1000, 1500 and 3000-meter events. And French sister-skiers Christine and Marielle Goitschel were the top two finishers, 1-2 and 2-1, respectively, in the women's slalom and giant slalom.
• All of the above
  That's right -- all answers are true. IBM brought $2.5 million worth of computer equipment and drastically cut the wait time for scores to be released from several hours to just minutes. Also Soviet speed Skater Lidia Skoblikova won gold in the 500, 1000, 1500 and 3000-meter events. And French sister-skiers Christine and Marielle Goitschel were the top two finishers, 1-2 and 2-1, respectively, in the women's slalom and giant slalom.

10. There was no bobsled event at the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Games for which of the following reasons?

• No course was built
  That's right! The Squaw Valley organizers declined to build a bobsled course citing the expense and the potential lack of competitors. The event returned to the Games in 1964.
• Unseasonably warm weather
  No -- no course was built! The Squaw Valley organizers declined to build a bobsled course citing the expense and the potential lack of competitors. The event returned to the Games in 1964.
• Majority of the sleds were damaged in a storm
  No -- no course was built! The Squaw Valley organizers declined to build a bobsled course citing the expense and the potential lack of competitors. The event returned to the Games in 1964.
• Bobsledding was technically against California law
  No -- no course was built! The Squaw Valley organizers declined to build a bobsled course citing the expense and the potential lack of competitors. The event returned to the Games in 1964.