Who was the first African-American boxing champ? How about World Cycling champ? Who was the first African-American to win an Olympic gold medal? What year did Jackie Robinson break baseball's color barrier? Who was Althea Gibson and what first did she achieve? Detail our collection of pioneering African-American athletes for the answers to these and many more questions, and explore our African-American Firsts: Athletes photos gallery.
They've sprinted, served, batted, slam-dunked and TKO'd their way into sports history. Sprinter Jesse Owens's Olympic triumphs put Hitler to shame. Basketball star Michael Jordan taught kids that they could fly. Gymnast Gabby Douglas showed that champions can come in pint-size packages, and Tiger Woods brought the game of golf to another level. Explore biographies of famous black athletes who broke records and barriers and, ultimately, captured our imaginations.
They've sprinted, kicked, backflipped, triple-lutzed, and TKO'd their way into sports history. Learn more about notable female athletes such as Bonnie Blair, Hope Solo, Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
Browse notable figure skaters such as Oksana Baiul, Sarah Hughes, and Katerina Witt.
Despite all sorts of institutional obstacles, women have continued to reach stratospheric levels of success in a full gamut of professional pursuits, whether as scientists, scribes, educators, governmental leaders, athletes, designers, film directors or performers. Learn more about the plethora of triumphs obtained by our group of trailblazers.
Visit Biography.com's Women's History group to explore more biographies, photos and videos of some the world's most fascinating women.
Meet famous people past and present who were born in the month of March. Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Alexander Graham Bell, Eric Clapton, Billy Crystal, Shaquille O'Neal are just some of the folks who share a March birthday.
Olympic medal winners have wowed us with their athleticism and determination and have made history with some of the most unforgettable moments in sports history. From Bruce Jenner's 1972 world record victory lap to Michael Phelps's astounding eight medal sweep at the 2008 Beijing Games, these champions have proven they have what it takes to be the best. Here's a look at some of the most well-known medal winners from past and present Olympic Games.