“Fosbury Flops” to Olympic Gold - This Day in History – Oct 20th

Back in 1968, American Olympian Dick Fosbury set a high jump record due to his unique “Fosbury Flop.”  He won a Gold medal in this event.  His unique style was adopted by future high jumpers in the Olympic sport. 

This unique jump was discussed on history.com, “The Flop, according to one journalist, "looked like a guy falling off the back of a truck." Instead of the traditional scissors- or straddle-style forward kick over the bar, it featured a midair rotation so that the jumper landed back-of-the-head-first on the mat. Fosbury described it this way: "I take off on my right, or outside, foot rather than my left foot. Then I turn my back to the bar, arch my back over the bar and then kick my legs out to clear the bar." It looked odd, but it worked better than any other technique.”

Legendary Hollywood Leading Man, Burt Lancaster dies

Back in 1994, the Hollywood actor Burt Lancaster died at the age of 80 after a heart attack.  Born in East Harlem, Mr. Lancaster had appeared in over 70 films including:

• From Here to Eternity
• Apache
• Gunfight at OK Corral
• The Rainmaker
• Field of Dreams

According to history.com, “Lancaster formed a production company with his agent, Harold Hecht, in the 1950s, becoming one of the first actors in Hollywood to do so. Among his producing credits were 1955’s Marty, which won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actor (Ernest Borgnine).”

All History facts provided from the link below:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/congress-investigates-reds-in-hollywood