Gymnastics in the National Archives
The stakes are often high in gymnastics, whether going for the perfect 10.0 in front of an Olympic crowd or attempting to stay balanced on a beam four inches wide and 4.1 feet off the ground in a local gym. From the "Fierce Five" to tumbling in zero gravity, Gymnastics-related records can be found in the National Archives Catalog.
You can learn about the impact of sports in the exhibit All American: The Power of Sports, which ran in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery in Washington, DC, from September 16, 2022, through January 7, 2024.
Young gymnast trains in the gymnasium of the Turner Club in New Ulm, Minnesota, October 1974. Photo by Art Hanson. Records of the Environmental Protection Agency. View in the National Archives Catalog.
Gymnastics exhibition, West Point Military Academy, circa June 1931. Records of the U.S. Military Academy. View in the National Archives Catalog.
U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen perform gymnastics at MacDonough Hall, January 1980. Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. View in the National Archives Catalog.
Gymnastics exhibition, West Point Military Academy, circa June 1933. Records of the U.S. Military Academy. View in the National Archives Catalog.
Patent Drawing for a Toy Gymnast by Reuben A. Smith, January 1876. Records of the Patent and Trademark Office. View in the National Archives Catalog.
President Ronald Reagan with Mary Lou Retton and the 1984 United States Olympic Team at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, California, August 1984. Part of the Reagan White House Photographs series. View in the National Archives Catalog.
President Richard Nixon in the Oval Office with members of the Russian Soviet Women's Gymnastics Team, including Olympic Gold Medalist Olga Korbut (to his left), March 1973. Part of the Nixon White House Photographs series. View in the National Archives Catalog.
Balance beam demonstration on the South Lawn of the White House, hosted by gymnast Dominique Dawes, September 2009. President Barack Obama, Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Jackie Joyner Kersee are among the spectators. Photo by Samantha Appleton. Records of the White House Photo Office (Obama Administration). View in the National Archives Catalog.
Elementary school children practice gymnastics in a Youth Center at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, March 1988. Photo by Dean Johnson. Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. View in the National Archives Catalog.
2012 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team leotard signed by the “Fierce Five” and given to Malia and Sasha Obama in November 2012. The Fierce Five, which included Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross, and Jordyn Wieber, won the second team gold medal for the United States during the London Olympic games. Barack Obama Artifact Collection. View in the National Archives Catalog.
Read more about the gymnastics-related holdings at the National Archives:
- Catalog: Documentary of Gymnastics in Zero-G
- Catalog: May Festival at Greenfield Village
- Catalog: Poster: "Girl Power!" Salute to Olympic Gymnast Dominique Dawes
- Education Updates: Primary Sources Related to the Olympics (2021)
- National Archives News: Virtual Programs Commemorate Women’s History Month (2021)
- The Unwritten Record: An Update on Still Picture Catalog Additions (2020)
- The Unwritten Record: This Week in Universal News: The 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin (2014)
- Tumblr: A look back at the last US team to win gold in women’s gymnastics! (2012)