For decades, running a mile in less than four minutes was considered impossible, beyond the physical capacity of the human body. But in 1954, Roger Bannister, a 25-year-old British medical student, proved this belief wrong by running a mile in 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds on the Iffley Road track in Oxford, England in front of 3,000 spectators.
More amazing than the achievement itself was the aftermath.