Births on June 6

Tommie Smith

Born on June 6, 1944

Tommie Smith, American runner and football player

Tommie C. Smith (born June 6, 1944) is an American former track and field athlete and former wide receiver in the American Football League. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Smith, aged 24, won the 200-meter sprint finals and gold medal in 19.83 seconds – the first time the 20-second barrier was broken officially. His Black Power salute with John Carlos atop the medal podium to protest racism and injustice against African-Americans in the United States caused controversy, as it was seen as politicizing the Olympic Games. It remains a symbolic moment in the history of the Black Power movement.

References

Tommie Smith

Choose Another Date

Events on 1944

10 Apr

Auschwitz concentration camp
Rudolf Vrba and Alfréd Wetzler escape from Birkenau death camp.
13 Apr

Soviet Union
Diplomatic relations between New Zealand and the Soviet Union are established.
26 Jun

RAF
World War II: San Marino, a neutral state, is mistakenly bombed by the RAF based on faulty information, leading to 35 civilian deaths.
26 Aug

Charles de Gaulle
World War II: Charles de Gaulle enters Paris.
31 Dec

Nazi Germany
World War II: Hungary declares war on Nazi Germany.

Births on June 6

Tommie Smith

Born on June 6, 1944

References

Choose Another Date

Events on 1944

Auschwitz concentration camp

Soviet Union

RAF

Charles de Gaulle

Nazi Germany