Sports
When was the four-minute mile first broken?
1954 AD
Roger Bannister broke four minutes for the mile on 6 May 1954 AD.
1 BC · 1 AD
Context
What happened?
The run took place at Oxford University’s Iffley Road track in blustery weather, with Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway setting the pace. Bannister’s time of 3 minutes 59.4 seconds cleared a barrier many had treated as close to the limit of human capability.
Significance
Why it matters
The record lasted six weeks: John Landy ran faster at Turku in Finland on 21 June 1954. That is much of the point, since the barrier turned out to be largely psychological, and the mile record has fallen steadily ever since.
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