Sam The Olympic Eagle pin created for the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games
Object Details
- Description (Brief)
- Sam The Olympic Eagle pin created for the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games. This collector pin represents Sam the Eagle, the mascot of the 1984 Summer Olympic games which were held in Los Angeles, California from July 28 to August 12, 1984. Sam the Eagle was designed by Bob Moore, an artist for Walt Disney. Olympic pin collecting began as early as 1900 and gained momentum at the 1936 Games. Through the 1960s pin trading was on the upswing but really took off at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games with sponsor's becoming more prevalent. Coca-Cola set up a pin trading area at the Calgary Games which gave a boost to the hobby which is still a big part of the Olympic experience.
- The 1984 Summer Olympics, also known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad were held in Los Angeles, California with 140 countries, 5,263 men and 1,566 women athletes participating. These Games were boycotted by fourteen countries, including the Soviet Union because of America’s boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. American Carl Lewis won four gold medals in track and field while Joan Benoit won gold for the U.S. in the first women’s marathon. Mary Lou Retton dominated women’s gymnastics becoming the first American to win the gymnastics all-around competition and the American men won the gold in the gymnastics team competition. With the addition of women’s only events of rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming and the addition of women’s events in track and field, shooting and cycling, women athletes were just beginning to see results from Title IX legislation of twelve years prior. The United States won the medal count with 174.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Credit Line
- From Mr. Lou Newman
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- date made
- 1984
- ID Number
- 1999.0265.156
- accession number
- 1999.0265
- catalog number
- 1999.0265.156
- Object Name
- pin, olympic
- pin, summer olympics
- Physical Description
- metal (overall material)
- paper (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 2.3 cm; x 29/32 in
- Associated Place
- United States: California, Los Angeles
- See more items in
- Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
- web subject
- Sports
- name of sport
- Baseball
- level of sport
- Olympics
- Record ID
- nmah_1427948
