Many people were shocked when the deciding committee announced that Squaw Valley, California would host the 8th Winter Olympics. At the time of the announcement, the city was not equipped to host the Olympic games, however $80 million of infrastructure was built to support the games.
It was on this day, February 28th, 1960, that closing ceremonies took place at the 8th Winter Olympics. The event was broadcasted on CBS and produced by Walt Disney.
The Olympics were a success, and Squaw Valley did a great job to prove its doubters wrong. The city remains today the smallest place in the world to ever host the Olympics. All in all, 30 countries competed in the games played in Squaw Valley, and the Soviet Union continued it’s dominance over the Winter Olympics, winning 7 gold medals.