Historical eventSeptember 101960

Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon

Running barefoot in the marathon event at the Rome Olympics, Abebe Bikila became the first athlete from sub-Saharan Africa to win an Olympic gold medal.

In context

When
Saturday, September 10 196066 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1960s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1960.

What happened

Running barefoot in the marathon event at the Rome Olympics, Abebe Bikila became the first athlete from sub-Saharan Africa to win an Olympic gold medal.

September 10 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1960Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon
  2. 2001Antônio da Costa Santos
  3. 2002Foreign relations of Switzerland
  4. 2007Nawaz Sharif
  5. 2008Large Hadron Collider
  6. 2009Atlanta Police Department
  7. 2017Hurricane Irma
  8. 2024Polaris Dawn
  9. 2025Charlie Kirk
  10. 2025Liquefied petroleum gas
  11. 2025Conservatism in the United States

Also in 1960

  • August 17Aeroflot Flight 036Aeroflot Flight 036 crashes in Soviet Ukraine, killing 34.
  • June 17Nez PerceThe Nez Perce tribe is awarded $4 million for 7 million acres (28,000 km2) of land undervalued at four cents/acre in the 1863 treaty.
  • July 8Francis Gary PowersFrancis Gary Powers is charged with espionage resulting from his flight over the Soviet Union.
  • December 14Ian MeckiffAustralian cricketer Ian Meckiff was run out on the last day of the first Test match between Australia and the West Indies, resulting in…
  • May 221960 Valdivia earthquakeThe most powerful earthquake ever recorded, registering approximately 9.5 Mw, struck near Valdivia, Chile, generating tsunamis that reach…
  • October 29Curtiss C-46 CommandoA C-46 airliner carrying the Cal Poly Mustangs football team crashed during takeoff from Toledo Express Airport in Ohio, U.S., resulting…
  • May 1Cold WarCold War: U-2 incident: Francis Gary Powers, in a Lockheed U-2 spyplane, is shot down over the Sverdlovsk Oblast, Soviet Union, sparking…
  • January 1East House mass shootingThree men were killed and two wounded in a mass shooting at a public house in Sheffield, England.

Everything we record for 1960 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/athletics-at-the-1960-summer-olympics-men-s-marathon-1960-september-10, accessed October 29, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon happen?

September 10 1960 — 66 years ago, on a Saturday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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