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: April 10
April 10, 1947 – Major Historic Sports Event Here! Jackie Robinson, famously put his name in ink
Sports History On This Day: April 9
April 9, 1912 – The legendary Fenway Park has what many consider the first somewhat
Sports History On This Day: April 8
April 8 NFL Drafts We have had a few NFL Drafts take place on
Sports History On This Day: April 7
April 7, 1946 – In the first Masters Tournament played in over 4 years, American
Pennsylvania High School Football History (A Flash Back In Time)
This week I speak to the founder and primary contributor of PAFBHISTORY.COM, a website dedicated to
Sports History On This Day: April 6
April 6, 1896 – The First modern-era Olympic Games have opening ceremonies not far from
St. Louis Cardinals: My Secret “2nd Favorite Team” Growing Up
Most of us who follow sports have a favorite team. In baseball, my favorite
Sports History On This Day: April 5
April 5, 1927 – American champion swimmer, Johnny Weissmuller set a couple of records in