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Births on July 16

Jim Rathmann
1928Jul, 16

Jim Rathmann

Jim Rathmann, American racing driver (d. 2011)
Jim Rathmann (July 16, 1928 – November 23, 2011), born Royal Richard Rathmann, was an American race car driver who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1960.

He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series in the 1949–1950 and 1952–1963 seasons with 42 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 in each of those seasons. Rathmann also participated in the two runnings of the Race of Two Worlds at Monza, Italy, winning the 1958 event. He had 6 victories in addition to his Indy 500 win. He also drove in 3 races in the NASCAR series from 1949 to 1951.

Rathmann and his older brother notably swapped names while teenagers. As a 16-year-old going by the name of "Dick Rathmann," he wanted to start racing. To enter races, he borrowed his older brother's I.D. and assumed the identity of "Jim Rathmann." The name change stuck for life in public circles.

On August 15, 2007, Rathmann was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. The ceremony took place in Detroit. He died in 2011 after a seizure.

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Events on 1928

  • 12Mar

    St. Francis Dam

    In California, the St. Francis Dam fails; the resulting floods kills 431 people.
  • 12Apr

    Junkers W 33

    The Bremen, a German Junkers W 33 type aircraft, takes off for the first successful transatlantic aeroplane flight from east to west.
  • 4Jun

    Zhang Zuolin

    The President of the Republic of China, Zhang Zuolin, is assassinated by Japanese agents.
  • 18Jun

    Amelia Earhart

    Aviator Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly in an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean (she is a passenger; Wilmer Stultz is the pilot and Lou Gordon the mechanic).
  • 2Oct

    Josemaría Escrivá

    The "Prelature of the Holy Cross and the Work of God", commonly known as Opus Dei, is founded by Josemaría Escrivá.