Athletes
Track & Field
Born in Plainfield
Born in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1933, Milt Campbell won the Olympic decathlon gold medal at the 19
Born in Turku, Finland in 1897, Paavo Nurmi
Born in Turku, Finland in 1897, Paavo Nurmi was the 'Flying Finn' who won nine Olympic gold medals a
Born in Oklahoma Territory in 1887, Jim Thorpe
Born in Oklahoma Territory in 1887, Jim Thorpe was a Native American multi-sport athlete who won bot
Born in Okayama Prefecture in 1907, Kinue Hitomi
Born in Okayama Prefecture in 1907, Kinue Hitomi was Japan's first female Olympic medalist, winning
Born in Alabama in 1913
Born in Alabama in 1913, Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, silently defy
Born in Clarksville
Born in Clarksville, Tennessee in 1940, Wilma Rudolph overcame childhood polio that left her unable
Born in Jato, Ethiopia in 1932, Abebe Bikila ran the 1960 Rome Olympic marathon barefoot and won - then defended his title wearing shoes at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He heralded the era of African distance running dominance. From Imperial Guard to Olympic champion to paraplegic after a car accident, his
Born in Jato, Ethiopia in 1932, Abebe Bikila ran the 1960 Rome Olympic marathon barefoot and won - t
Born in Czechoslovakia in 1922, Emil Zatopek
Born in Czechoslovakia in 1922, Emil Zatopek was the 'Human Locomotive' who achieved the unprecedent
Born in Sukagawa
Born in Sukagawa, Fukushima Prefecture in 1940, Kokichi Tsuburaya won bronze in the marathon at the
Baseball
Born in Baltimore in 1895
Born in Baltimore in 1895, Babe Ruth transformed baseball from a game of strategy into a spectacle o
Born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919, Jackie Robinson shattered Major League Baseball's color barrier on April 15, 1947, becoming the first African American to play in the modern era. His number 42
Born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919, Jackie Robinson shattered Major League Baseball's color barrier on A
Born in Mie Prefecture, Japan in 1917, Eiji Sawamura
Born in Mie Prefecture, Japan in 1917, Eiji Sawamura was a legendary pitcher in the dawn of Japanese
Born in Beppu
Born in Beppu, Oita Prefecture in 1937, Kazuhisa Inao earned the nickname 'Iron Arm' as the legendar
Born in Kyoto Prefecture in 1935, Katsuya Nomura
Born in Kyoto Prefecture in 1935, Katsuya Nomura was the first postwar Triple Crown winner as a catc
Born in New York in 1903, Lou Gehrig
Born in New York in 1903, Lou Gehrig was the 'Iron Horse' who played 2,130 consecutive games as the
Born in Carolina
Born in Carolina, Puerto Rico in 1934, Roberto Clemente achieved 3,000 career hits and won twelve Go
Born in San Diego, California in 1918, Ted Williams
Born in San Diego, California in 1918, Ted Williams was the legendary slugger who pursued 'the scien
Football
Born in Buenos Aires in 1926, Alfredo Di Stefano
Born in Buenos Aires in 1926, Alfredo Di Stefano was 'The Blond Arrow' who led Real Madrid to five c
Born in Budapest in 1927, Ferenc Puskas
Born in Budapest in 1927, Ferenc Puskas was Hungary's treasure and the core of the 'Magical Magyars.
Born in Pau Grande, Rio de Janeiro state in 1933, Garrincha bewildered defenders with his naturally curved legs and became known as the 'Joy of the People.' He
Born in Pau Grande, Rio de Janeiro state in 1933, Garrincha bewildered defenders with his naturally
Born in Kaiserslautern in 1920
Born in Kaiserslautern in 1920, Fritz Walter captained West Germany to the 'Miracle of Bern' at the
Born in Moscow in 1929, Lev Yashin
Born in Moscow in 1929, Lev Yashin was the 'Black Spider' - the greatest goalkeeper in football hist
Born in Minas Gerais
Born in Minas Gerais, Brazil in 1940, Pele won the World Cup at seventeen and became known as 'The K
Born in Amsterdam in 1947
Born in Amsterdam in 1947, Johan Cruyff embodied 'Total Football' as the Dutch genius who won three
Boxing
Born in Alabama in 1914
Born in Alabama in 1914, Joe Louis held the world heavyweight boxing title for twelve years as the '
Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1921, Sugar Ray Robinson
Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1921, Sugar Ray Robinson is the most technically accomplished fighter i
Born in Brockton, Massachusetts in 1923, Rocky Marciano
Born in Brockton, Massachusetts in 1923, Rocky Marciano is the only undefeated heavyweight champion
Born in Louisville
Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1942, Muhammad Ali revolutionized boxing with his 'float like a butt
Born in Galveston, Texas in 1878, Jack Johnson became the first Black world heavyweight boxing champion in 1908. Holding the title for seven years amid intense White hostility, he
Born in Galveston, Texas in 1878, Jack Johnson became the first Black world heavyweight boxing champ
Martial Arts
Born in San Francisco in 1940 and raised in Hong Kong, Bruce Lee
Born in San Francisco in 1940 and raised in Hong Kong, Bruce Lee was the founder of Jeet Kune Do and
Born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1917, Masahiko Kimura
Born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1917, Masahiko Kimura is considered the strongest judoka in history -
Born in Mikage
Born in Mikage, Hyogo Prefecture in 1860, Jigoro Kano systematized traditional jujutsu into modern '
Tennis
Born in Paris in 1899, Suzanne Lenglen
Born in Paris in 1899, Suzanne Lenglen was the 'Goddess of Tennis' who completely dominated the spor
Born in Stockport
Born in Stockport, England in 1909, Fred Perry broke through tennis's class barriers as a working-cl
Born in Richmond
Born in Richmond, Virginia in 1943, Arthur Ashe shattered tennis's racial barriers as the first Blac
Swimming
Born in Hashimoto, Wakayama Prefecture in 1914, Hideko Maehata
Born in Hashimoto, Wakayama Prefecture in 1914, Hideko Maehata was the first Japanese woman to win a
Born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture in 1928, Hironoshin Furuhashi
Born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture in 1928, Hironoshin Furuhashi was the swimmer known as the 'F
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1890, Duke Kahanamoku
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1890, Duke Kahanamoku was an Olympic swimming gold medalist and the 'Fat
Sumo
Motorsport
Born in Quebec, Canada in 1950, Gilles Villeneuve
Born in Quebec, Canada in 1950, Gilles Villeneuve was the fearless 'Aviator' who thrilled F1 fans wi
Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1960, Ayrton Senna won three Formula One World Championships and
Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1960, Ayrton Senna won three Formula One World Championships and is wid