Winter Olympics 2

The Winter Olympics are currently held every four years. The first event was in Chamonix, France, in 1924, and there was an exception during World War II—as both the 1940 and 1944 games were canceled. In 1994, the International Olympic Committee decided the Summer and Winter Games would no longer be held in the same year, and they are now two years apart.

The United States has hosted the Winter Olympic Games four times, more than any other country. Twice these events took place in Lake Placid, New York: first in 1932 and later in 1980. The Games were held in Squaw Valley, California, in 1960 and in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2002. 

As of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Norway has amassed 405 Olympic medals in winter sports, including 148 gold medals.

The United States follows in second place with 330 medals.

Sapporo, located on the northern island of Hokkaido, Japan, became famous for hosting the 1972 Winter Olympics, the first time the Games were held in Asia.

Sapporo also lends its name to one of Japan's most famous beer brands. 

Walt Disney was asked by the Olympic Organizing Committee to plan the pageantry for the opening and closing ceremonies for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. The creative mind behind Disneyland orchestrated a dazzling spectacle that delighted audiences.