ON THIS DAY - 1954: Four minute mile by Roger Bannister

ATHLETICS - One of those milestone moments in sports history occurred on 6 May 1954 at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games. 3,000 spectators were on hand. Winds up to 25 miles per hour (40km/h) made conditions treacherous. Bannister’s time was 3 minutes 59.4, which was amazing because nobody had ever dipped under the four minute mark. 46 days later Bannister’s record was broken by his rival Landy with a time of 3 min 57.9. The legacy, however, remains.

BIRTHDAY - 6 May: Willie Mays (Baseball)

BASEBALL - Willie Mays is 81 years old today. Mays won two MVP Awards and tied Stan Musial’s record with 24 appearances in the All-Star Game. Mays ended his career with 660 home runs, third at the time of his retirement, and currently fourth all-time. His nickname was ‘The Say Hey Kid’. In 1999, Mays was voted second on the list of the 100 greatest baseball players. He played his last game in October 1973, for the New York Mets.

Shares birthday with: Bob Seger, Tony Blair, George Clooney