Posted on July 6, 2022
This is an update of my post published on July 6, 2011:
Althea Gibson didn’t lose a set all through the opening rounds of the 1957 Wimbledon Tennis Championship. Then she faced Darlene Hard in the finals—and she crushed her! The entire match took only 50 minutes!
The score of that finals was 6-3, 6-2. Once again, Gibson didn’t lose a set.
She had become the new Wimbledon champion—the first black player, man or woman, to do so!
The very next day, Gibson joined forces with her opponent, Darlene Hard, and played in the doubles finals. The two beat their competitors 6-1, 6-1. So Gibson became a double-champion!
Gibson has been called the Jackie Robinson of tennis because she helped to break the “color barrier.” She went also captured important titles in the French and U.S. Nationals, and she won championships multiple years.
Here is a You Tube video in which the children’s biography Nothing But Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson, by Sue Stauffacher, is read aloud.
Also on this date:
Jan Hus Day in Czechia
Independence Day in Comoros
Republic Day in Malawi
Plan ahead:
Check out my Pinterest boards for:
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July holidays
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July birthdays
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Historical anniversaries in July
And here are my Pinterest boards for:
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August holidays
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August birthdays
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Historical anniversaries in August