Greg Louganis
He dominated Olympic diving with near-perfect form, then changed the conversation around athletes, HIV, and courage.
Born 1960 (age 66)·American Olympic springboard and platform diver·Birthday: January 29·Baby Boomers
Biography
Greg Louganis transformed diving from a niche sport into a spectacle of athletic grace and power. Adopted as an infant, he found his calling in dance and acrobatics before focusing on the diving board. His career is defined by the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, where he achieved the unprecedented feat of winning double gold in both Games. The moment that cemented his legacy came in Seoul '88, when he hit his head on the springboard during a preliminary dive, received stitches, and returned minutes later to execute a near-perfect dive, advancing to win gold the next day. After retiring, Louganis publicly came out as gay and revealed he was HIV-positive at the 1988 Games, becoming a powerful advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and HIV awareness, proving his bravery extended far beyond the pool.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Greg was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Greg Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Greg's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won gold medals in both the 3m springboard and 10m platform at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics.
- Earned a perfect score of 10 from all seven judges for a dive at the 1984 Olympics.
- Authored the bestselling autobiography 'Breaking the Surface,' which became a New York Times bestseller for over five months.
- Won five World Championship titles and six Pan American Games gold medals during his career.
Did You Know?
He was a competitive trampolinist and gymnast as a child.
He won a silver medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics at age 16.
He is of Samoan and Swedish descent.
He worked as a stunt double for the water scenes in the film 'The Fantastic Four.'
““I think that's what we all strive for: to be comfortable in our own skin.””
