John Gichigi/Allsport |
HISTORY
 Sleds have been used for centuries as a way to travel on snow, but bobsledding didn't emerge as a sport until the late 19th century, when the Swiss attached a steering mechanism to a toboggan.
1914: Bobsled races take place on many natural ice courses throughout Europe.
1923: The Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT) is founded.
1924: The four-man race takes place at the first ever Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix, France.
1928: At the Games in St. Mortiz, Switzerland, five men compete on each four-man team for the only time in Olympic history.
1932: The two-man event is added at the 1932 Olympics in Lake Placid, NY. American Eddie Eagen becomes the only person to win a gold medal in both the Winter and Summer Olympics (four-man bobsled, light heavyweight boxing).
1952: An important rule change limits the total weight of crew and sled, ending the era of the heavyweight bobsledder. The rule helps make the sport a highly athletic event.
Early 1990s: Women's bobsledding debuts at events in Europe and North America.
1992: For the first time in Olympic competition, none of the eventual medal winners in the two-man event are in first, second, or third place after the first day's two runs. Switzerland captures the gold and Germany wins the bronze and silver.
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