By Kiesly Jameson
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
John Phillips Naber (born January 20, 1956) is an American former competitive swimmer, five-time Olympic medalist and former world record-holder in multiple events.
Born in Evanston, Illinois, Naber studied in England and Italy where his father worked as a management consultant. He graduated from Woodside High School in Northern California, then completed his bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1977 at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. While at USC, he led the Trojans to four consecutive NCAA titles (1974–1977).
At age twenty, Naber won four gold medals at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec. Each of these victories was swum in world-record time; he swept the two backstroke events and was a member of two winning relay teams. He also won a silver medal in the 200-meter freestyle, part of a U.S. sweep for that event.
One of Naber’s gold medals was for the first 200-meter backstroke completed in under two minutes; his world record time of 1:59.19 stood for seven years. His world record of 55.49 seconds in the 100-meter backstroke also stood for seven years.
For these accomplishments in Montreal and elsewhere, Naber won the 1977 James E. Sullivan Award, which is presented to the top American amateur athlete of the year. He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an “Honor Swimmer” in 1982.
TODAY’S ALMANAC
Question of the Day
Advice of the Day
Home Hint of the Day
Word of the Day
Puzzle of the Day
Born
- Samuel Keefer (first Canadian Chief Engineer of Public Works) –
- George Burns (comedian & actor) –
- Joy Adamson (author of Born Free) –
- Patricia Neal (actress) –
- Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin (astronaut) –
- John Naber (swimmer) –
- James Denton (actor) –
- Rainn Wilson (actor) –
Died
- John Ruskin (art critic) –
- Alan Freed (disc jockey) –
- Audrey Hepburn (actress) –
- David “Fathead” Newman (jazz musician) –
- Etta James (singer) –
- Naomi Parker Fraley (inspiration for the 1943 “We Can Do It!” Westinghouse poster ) –
Events
- First major U.S. geology book debuted –
- U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower was lassoed by a cowboy at the inauguration parade –
- In Montreal, censors withdrew The Wild Ones from cinemas claiming it inspired violence among youth –
- John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th U.S. president –
- Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the 40th U.S. president –
- Ronald Reagan was privately sworn in for his second term as U.S. president. The public ceremony was held the following day –
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day was celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time –
- George H. W. Bush was sworn in as the 41st U.S. president –
- Solar activity knocked out Telesat Canada’s satellites Anik E-1 and E-2, affecting TV, radio, and phones –
- National Hockey League season began after 103-day lockout. –
- George W. Bush was sworn in as the 43rd U.S. president –
- Bode Miller won his 28th World Cup victory, the most ever for an American alpine skier –
- Barack Hussein Obama took the oath of office and became the first African American U.S. president –
- A 6.1-magnitude aftershock struck Haiti, eight days after a devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake –
- 74-pound striped bass caught near Cape Henry, Virginia –
- Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president –
- Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first female and first black vice president of the United States –
- Joe Biden was sworn is as the 46th president of the United States –
Weather
- The temperature at Boca, California, hit -45 degrees F –
- Rogers Pass, Montana, set the record lowest temperature for the continental United States of -69.7F. –
- Two feet of snow fell in New Hampshire in what became known as the “Kennedy Inaugural Storm,” which hit the East Coast –
COURTESY www.almanac.com
