MAY 6

On this date in 1954, a 23 year-old English medical student broke a long-standing track record that many had coveted.  Roger Bannister ran a mile in under four (4) minutes - to be exact: 3 minutes 59.4 seconds.  He did it at a meet between the British Athletic Club and Oxford University.  I remember watching on ABC's Wide World of Sports - probably a replay.

Bannister's record was eclipsed on June 21 that year.  The fastest he ever did the mile was 3 min 58.8 sec.  He will forever be a British hero.  He is one of the few non-Americans that Sports Illustrated named Sportsman of the Year. 

The current world record time is 3 min. 43.13 sec. for men.  For women, the record stands at
4 minutes 12.56 seconds.  Just think, 65 years and we've only knocked about 15 seconds off of Bannister's record.  Roger became a neurologist; married and had four children.  Several books were written about his feat followed by movies and documentaries.  He died in March of last year at the age of 88.