Opening ceremonies dress worn by Sharon Callahan (McKniff) at the1968 Mexico City Olympic Games

Object Details

Description (Brief)

Opening ceremonies dress worn by Sharon Callahan (McKniff) at the1968 Mexico City Olympic Games is a white, long sleeve dress with blue and red "V" shaped stripes on the front. Callahan competed in the high jump as a member of the US Olympic track and field team of 1968.

The 1968 Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad were held in Mexico City, Mexico with 110 countries and 4,735 men and 781 women athletes participating. These were also the first to be held in Latin America and the first in a Spanish speaking country. The 1968 US Olympic track and field team was one of the most successful track teams’ winning twenty-four medals, including twelve gold. The high altitude of Mexico City was attributed to many of the records broken in the short distance races although those in the endurance races suffered from the lack of oxygen. These games also introduced the world to the Fosbury flop as Dick Fosbury won the gold with a new backward approach to the high jump, 16-year-old Debbie Meyer became the first US woman to win three individual golds in swimming and newcomer, George Foreman won gold in boxing. These Games were the first to subject athletes to drug testing which led to the first disqualification of an athlete after drinking a beer before his pentathlon competition. The politically charged atmosphere around the globe that year also contributed to controversy on the medal podium when two African-American athletes held black gloved hands high and bowed their heads during the National Anthem in response to the civil rights protests prevalent in the United States. The US won the medal count with 107.

Location

Currently not on view

1968

ID Number

2017.0007.11

accession number

2017.0007

catalog number

2017.0007.11

Object Name

dress

dress, summer olympics

Physical Description

fabric, polyester (overall material)

Measurements

overall: 37 in x 18 in; 93.98 cm x 45.72 cm

See more items in

Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure

Sports & Leisure

National Museum of American History

name of sport

Track and Field

level of sport

Amateur

Olympics

web subject

Women

related event

Olympic Summer Games: Mexico City, 1968

Record ID

nmah_1832718

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b3-065d-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa