CNN/SI - The Cold Wars

Carol Heiss 1 The Cold Wars

Carol Heiss 2 For three-quarters of a century, the Winter Olympics have brought thrill to the chill, putting relatively obscure cold-weather sports at the center of the world stage. If not for the Winter Games, few would have enjoyed (clockwise from left) the breathtaking routines of Sonja Henie in 1928; the dazzling speed of Bonnie Blair in 1994; the uncommon panache of Jean-Claude Killy in 1968; or the mind-boggling victory of the U.S. hockey team in 1980.
In this special CNN/SI retrospective, we have divided the 18 Winter Games into five eras: Prologue (the 1920s and '30s); War and Peace (the 1940s and '50s); On Came the Heroes (the 1960s and '70s); A Decade of Change (the 1980s); and The Modern Era (the 1990s).
Use the frame below to pick an era. Once you do, you'll have the option to zero in on the highlights of any Olympic year. Beginning with 1956, we've added excerpts from classic Sports Illustrated stories as well as a fresh look at some of the biggest names in the Games.
Olympic recaps by Stephen Thomas
photographs by Heinz Kluetmeier (Blair, hockey), IOC Olympic Museum/Allsport (Henie), Hulton Deutsch/Allsport (Killy)

Jean Claude Killy

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	For three-quarters of a century, the Winter Olympics have brought thrill to the chill, putting relatively obscure cold-weather sports at the center of the world stage. If not for the Winter Games, few would have enjoyed (clockwise from left) the breathtaking routines of Sonja Henie in 1928; the dazzling speed of Bonnie Blair in 1994; the uncommon panache of Jean-Claude Killy in 1968; or the mind-boggling victory of the U.S. hockey team in 1980. In this special CNN/SI retrospective, we have divided the 18 Winter Games into five eras: Prologue (the 1920s and '30s); War and Peace (the 1940s and '50s); On Came the Heroes (the 1960s and '70s); A Decade of Change (the 1980s); and The Modern Era (the 1990s). Use the frame below to pick an era. Once you do, you'll have the option to zero in on the highlights of any Olympic year. Beginning with 1956, we've added excerpts from classic Sports Illustrated stories as well as a fresh look at some of the biggest names in the Games. Olympic recaps by Stephen Thomas photographs by Heinz Kluetmeier (Blair, hockey), IOC Olympic Museum/Allsport (Henie), Hulton Deutsch/Allsport (Killy)