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Armin Hary: The sprint king who beat time by 10 seconds!
Discover the historic events of June 21, 2025, including Armin Hary's legendary 100 meter world record in 1960.
Armin Hary: The sprint king who beat time by 10 seconds!
Today, June 21, 2025, we take a look at notable events that took place on this date in history. Particularly noteworthy is the sprint by Armin Hary, who became the first person to complete the 100-meter distance in 10.0 seconds on June 21, 1960 in Zurich. This historic result not only set a world record, but also made Hary a legend in athletics. Bietigheimer Zeitung reports that Hary subsequently also won the gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, making him the first non-American to win this discipline since won in 1928.
Armin Hary, born on March 22, 1937, began his sprinting career at the age of 14, after a previous career as a soccer player. Despite his extraordinary successes, he faced career ending in the early 1960s when he was forced to retire due to serious injuries sustained in a car accident. Hary, who was 1.82 m tall and weighed 71 kg, even set a reaction time of just 0.04 seconds in 1960, which earned him the nickname “Thief of Starts”. Wikipedia states that he won the 100-meter race at the Olympics with a time of 10.2 seconds and also won a gold medal in the 4x100 m relay after the U.S. team was disqualified.
Important historical events
Another significant event that took place on this date was the opening of the Kiel Canal, once known as the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal. Kaiser Wilhelm II opened the 99 kilometer long canal on June 21, 1895, which offered Germany an important waterway connection between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Bietigheimer Zeitung documents this historical achievement, which still plays a key role in German shipping today.
personalities of the day
Many well-known personalities also celebrate their birthdays on this day. This includes Lana Del Rey in 1985, who achieved worldwide fame with her songs like “Video Games”. The German singer Mickie Krause, known for his hit “Schatzi schenk mir ein Foto”, also turns 55 today. In addition, the American screenwriter and director Lana Wachowski, one of the creative minds behind the “Matrix” trilogy, is celebrating her 60th birthday. Legendary French footballer and UEFA President Michel Platini celebrates his 70th birthday today.
On this day we also commemorate the death of Bert Kaempfert, an important German composer and arranger who died in 1980 and celebrated great success with hits such as “A Swingin' Safari” and “Red Roses for a Blue Lady”.