54 Days

Skeleton was not a part of the Olympic Winter Games for 54 years - from 1948 until 2002 when it was again added to the program. Here's your interesting Skeleton factoid of the day (as if the first one wasn't enough): American Zack Lund was banned from competing in skeleton at the 2006 Olympics because he failed a drug test. Lund says the drug he tested positive for, finasteride, was found in propecia, something he had been using for years to help prevent hair loss.

Of Vancouver's $34 million bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics, the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia financed 54% of it. Private companies financed the rest.

Hermann Maier, one of the greatest skiers of all time retired just months before the 2010 Winter Olympics. The Austrian won a total of 54 World Cup victories and four overall World Cup titles. He is a two time Olympic gold medalist (in 1998) and two time Olympic silver medalist (in 2006). He is also known for having the most spectacular fall at an Olympic event, in 1998, just days before he won those two gold medals. Click here to watch the crash.