1980 Olympics

The Winter Olympics began on February 13, 1980 in Lake Placid, New York.  This was the second time the games were held in Lake Placid, the first being in 1932.  To guarantee that the games took place in the best possible conditions, snow machines were used to produce artificial snow for the first time in Olympic history.

On February 22, 1980, the U.S. men’s hockey team pulled off one of the biggest upsets in sports history with a 4-3 victory over the heavily favored Soviet Union at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. Two days later, the Americans went on to beat Finland and take home the gold medal.  The game is still remembered fondly by many Americans as one of the greatest moments in Olympic history.




http://www.olympic.org/lake-placid-1980-winter-Olympics
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-hockey-pulls-off-miracle-on-ice



The 1980 Summer Olympics were held in Moscow on July 19, 1980.   The United States led a boycott of the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow to protest the late 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In total, 65 nations refused to participate in the games, whereas 80 countries sent athletes to compete.  This was the lowest number of participants since 1956.  Some countries such as Great Britain and Australia supported the boycott, however they still allowed athletes to participate.  United States President Jimmy Carter threatened to revoke the passports of any United States athletes who attempted to travel to USSR for the games. 

http://www.olympic.org/moscow-1980-summer-Olympics
http://history.state.gov/milestones/1977-1980/Olympic
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/carter-tells-us-athletes-of-olympic-boycott