July 21, 1957 – A milestone moment in sports history. A young lady by the name of Althea Gibson became the African-American to win a major US tennis tournament. Miss Gibson opened the door and inspired many black athletes to compete at sports that had in the past not been available for them to participate in.
In 1956, she became the first African American to win a Grand Slam title when she took home the French Championships. The following year she won both Wimbledon and this US Nationals (precursor of the US Open). It wasn’t a fluke either as she repeated and won them both again in 1958 and was voted Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network
December 10, 1947: The Big Sneeze
As you may recall from our previous episode in this new mini-series that chronicles
Roll With The “R” – R.I.P. Razor Ramon
This summer I was totally enthralled by the audiobook BLOOD, SWEAT & CHROME by Kyle Buchanan. The
December 7, 1947: The Jekyll and Hyde of the NFL (Chicago Cardinals)
As we kick off our bonus coverage of the 1947 Chicago Cardinals championship run,
Bears vs. Cardinals: The NFL’s Oldest Rivalry Book Preview
In this episode of “When Football Was Football’” Joe Ziemba previews his latest book,
Broadway Joe’s Lasting Impact on the NFL
Does Joe Namath deserve to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? To
Bob Lilly a.k.a. “Mr. Cowboy” – (Mark and Dave’s All-Time Favorite Player)
After an All-American career at Texas Christian University, Bob Lilly was the first-ever draft
1-on-1: Magic Johnson vs. Rony Seikaly
Doing a good deed is always a good thing. It shows others that we
When Machine Gun Jack Met The Galloping Ghost!
Some may claim that Chicago has a bad reputation…and not necessarily just in football!