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America’s Cup Winners Poster |
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B441 America’s Cup Winners
In 1851, Great Britain sponsored the first really big international trade show,
the giant “Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations.” It was especially
famous for its enormous exhibition hall, which was the first building to
have a cast iron skeleton completely covered with large panes of glass. This
led to the show’s popular nickname, “The Great Crystal Palace Exhibition.”
The supporting events included the first international sailboat race, which
the British were sure they would easily win. In one of the great sports upsets
of all time, the highly coveted silver cup was won by the New York Yacht
Club’s schooner, America. The crew donated the trophy to the yacht club, to
be held as a “challenge trophy.” The America’s Cup was born. The race was
named after the first winning boat, not the country. It is the longest-running
sports event in history.
America’s Cup is the most prestigious regatta and match race in the sport
of sailing. The New York Yacht Club successfully defended the trophy until
1987. The last 30 years have seen enormous international competition for the
coveted cup. This poster shows all the winners. It even includes the winner
of the recent 2013 race. It is the first time that all of the winners have been
shown together in any media.
The international flavor of recent races is represented by including the flags
of countries that had participating yacht clubs even if they did not win.
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