"Big Bill"

William "Big Bill" Tatem Tilden II became the first American to win a Wimbledon title in 1920. He would also win this title in 1921 and 1930. In later years, "Big Bill," who was also known for his "performances" on the court, became an actor, but was not as successful as he had been in his tennis career.

Johnny Weissmuller

Up until 1922, no swimmer, male or female, had been able to swim the 100 meters in under a minute's time. American Johnny Weissmuller broke the record with 58.6 seconds swimming freestyle. He went on to win three gold medals at the 1924 Olympics in France and two gold medals at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam. The picture to the right is of Johnny in the movie Tarzan.

Waterskiing

Ralph Samuelson of Minnesota invented waterskiing in 1922. After unsuccessful attempts of skiing on water with snow skis and barrel parts, the 18-year old tried out pinewood boards with curved tips.

Paris Olympics 1924

At the 1924 Olmpics in Paris, France, the following athletes, to name a few, accomplished amazing feats:

Erik Liddell ran the 400 meters in 47.6 seconds, a new world record.

Douglas Lowe won the gold medal in the 800 meters, and would go on to win this same award in the 1928 Olmpics.

Harold Abrahams set an Olympic record of 10.6 seconds for the 100 meters and won the gold medal.

The Curse of the Bambino

In 1920, Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $125,000. He did this to pay off debts and purchase Fenway Park. Over his next 15 seasons as a New York Yankee, Ruth led the league or placed in the top ten in slugging percentage, runbs, total bases, home runs, batting average, RBI, and walks. Ruth hit 59 home runs in 1921, then beat his own record in 1927 with 60. This record held for 34 years.

With Ruth on the team, the Yankees won seven American League Pennants and four World Series titles. He played his final Major League season with the oston Braves in 1935, and became one of the first five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. The success Ruth had with the Yankees created the popular myth known as the Curse of the Bambino.