On this day in 1960, Abebe Bikila becomes the first sub-Saharan African to win a gold medal, winning the marathon in bare feet. He was the first Ethiopian Olympic gold medalist, winning his first gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome while running barefoot. At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, he won his second gold medal, making him the first athlete to successfully defend an Olympic marathon title. In both victories, he ran in world record time.
Born in Shewa, Abebe moved to Addis Ababa around 1952 and joined the 5th Infantry Regiment of the Ethiopian Imperial Guard, an elite infantry division that safeguarded the emperor of Ethiopia. Abebe served in the Kagnew Battalion during the Korean War.
Bikila in 1968
Today is the birthday, in 19442, of Danny Hutton, singer with Three Dog Night, who had the 1970 UK No.3 & US No.1 single with a cover of the Randy Newman song ‘Mama Told Me Not To Come’. The band scored 21 Billboard Top 40 hits (with three hitting No.1) between 1969 and 1975. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVE59Aj7kog
