Two years before Roger Bannister, a British middle-distance athlete, even thought of breaking the mile run record, he broke the British record in the 1500m as a participant in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. This would inspire Bannister to go for “The Miracle Mile.”
He couldn’t train as hard as he wanted to because, at the time, he had been working as a junior doctor. The goal was to make the mile run in under four minutes and, while he didn’t quite make his high benchmark, he still accomplished it in four minutes and 59.4 seconds. This photo shows Bannister during the British Empire Commonwealth Games on Aug. 7, 1954, against John Lundy. He snagged Sports Illustrated magazine’s first “Sportsman of the Year” award.
The Start of Phil Mickelson's Historic Career
Phil Mickelson has won all the major golf tournaments, except for the U.S. Open. For some reason, he can’t seem to break through its barrier, although he has been consistently listed in the Top 50 for over 25 years. His highest career ranking is at number two in the world, and he’s achieved that several times.
This photo shows Lefty before winning his first Masters Tournament. Dated April 11, 2004, he leaps victoriously after he made an 18-foot putt on the 18th hole, successfully seizing a grand one-shot victory.
Nothing Shorter Than 70s Shorts
Fashion is a cyclical beast, as anyone who’s lived more than a handful of decades will tell you. What goes out of style always comes back around; it’s just a matter of waiting. And, as this picture clearly demonstrates, booty shorts have been around before. While they may be popular now, this certainly isn’t their first rodeo.
While the 60s was still a time when conservative fashion ruled, all hell broke loose in the 70s, the conventional mindset was upturned, and people were freed up to wear whatever took their fancy. The hippie movement played a big part in this renaissance of sorts, as did the continued evolution of rock ‘n’ roll. While sports in the 60s were a covered-up affair, fashion-wise, denizens of the 70s, like this super-happy badminton-playing couple, were able to wear whatever they pleased, regardless of how skimpy it was.
The Redskins And Their Logo
Fans of the Washington Redskins will be stoked to see one of their earliest uniforms. Burgundy and gold was their color combo, right from the start, though their helmet logo has undergone an upgrade. While the letter logo is commonplace among football teams, the Redskins made the controversial move to change the innocent “R” you can see here to a Native American head, the logo you’ll be familiar with today.
With concerns being repeatedly raised, not just from Native American communities, but from all parts of America, many are calling for the Redskins to go back to their original logo: the simple and elegant R. While this would likely satisfy some, there’s no avoiding the fact that the name itself carries almost as much controversy.
You Can't Stop Serena Williams
In 2015, Serena Williams beat Maria Sharapova to claim her sixth Australian Open title. It also marked her 16th consecutive victory over the Russian pro-tennis player. This photograph shows Serena Williams in 2007 as she celebrates winning a point against Sharapova.
This was the year she would start with renewed vigor, challenging herself to rise up in the rankings once more. She was unseeded in the 2007 Australian Open tournament after dropping to number 81 in the world rankings, regarded as out of shape. She ousted Maria Sharapova in the tournament, marking the start of her journey back to the number one spot.