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
Sports History On This Day: August 13
August 13, 1910 – A mirror image on the baseball diamond? The Brooklyn Superbas and the
Sports History On This Day: August 12
August 12, 1948 – This really had to be a fun game to witness. Amazingly the Cleveland
Sports History On This Day: August 11
August 11, 1984 – World-class sprinter Carl Lewis earned the title of the fastest man on
Sports History On This Day: August 10
August 10, 1944 – Bucky Walters of the Cincinnati Reds pitched a whale of a
Ernie “The Big Cat” Ladd: A Wrestling HOF Member Was Also an AFL Star?
The multi-talented Ladd excelled at football, wrestling, and basketball. Ernie “The Big Cat” Ladd.
Sports History On This Day: August 9
August 9, 1977 – The National Hockey League voted to refuse a merger of six
Sports History On This Day: August 8
August 8, 1870 – The very first America’s Cup boating race where the New York
Sports History On This Day: August 7
August 7, 1936 – The game of Basketball makes its Olympic debut at the 1936 Olympics