The 1995 Rugby World Cup was hosted and won by South Africa. It was the 3rd Rugby World Cup. With South African apartheid ending only a year prior and Nelson Mandela being the country’s new president, this photo moment is thought to be one of the most famous finals of any sport.
In the cup’s final, held in Johannesburg in June of that year, South Africa defeated New Zealand 15–12. Following South Africa’s victory, Nelson Mandela, wearing a Springboks rugby shirt and cap, presented the South African captain François Pienaar with the Webb Ellis Cup.
Olympic Figure Skater In The Making
While this young Norwegian girl had fun skating, little did she know that she would become a world-famous figure skater and film star. The young skater is none other than Sonja Henie, a 3-time Olympic Champion in Ladies' Singles, a six-time European Champion, and a 10-time World Champion.
As mentioned before, Henie was also a successful movie star and one of the highest-paid stars in Hollywood. Her most noteworthy appearances include the box-office hits: Thin Ice (1937), My Lucky Star (1938), Second Fiddle (1939), and Sun Valley Serenade (1941).
Jessie Owens Proves Hitler Wrong
In the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, Jessie Owens, a four-time Olympic gold medalist by the end of the competition, was coined "the most successful athlete at the Games." As a black man, Owen was credited with "single-handedly crushing Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy."
The picture was taken during the era of Nazi Germany, and you can see the members of the German team shamelessly holding the Nazi Salute during the medal ceremony for the winners of the long jump competition. Jessie Owens (U.S.A) team took first place, Luz Long (Germany) took second, and Tajima (Japan). Surprisingly, Long and Owens befriended each other during the Olympic games. Owen once said, "It took a lot of courage for him to befriend me in front of Hitler...".
The First Female NASCAR Driver
Think about being a professional NASCAR driver at a time when women were expected to just stay-at-home moms. For Sara Christian, this was not an option. She spent ages working hard to become the world’s first female NASCAR driver. In 1949, she was the first female NASCAR driver who competed in six out of eight events during her first and only full year.
Christian received the United States Drivers Association Woman Driver of the Year award. By 1949, she drove her Ford at the Charlotte Speedway and finished in 13th place. She raced for two years, starting in 1949 and ending her racing career in 1950. Later in 2004, Sara Christian was inducted into the Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame.
Float Like A Butterfly... Sting Like Ali!
Talk about the right place at the right time; this image has to be one of sporting history’s finest moments! Neil Leifer, a photographer for "Sports Illustrated" at the time, was THE man to capture the moment Muhammad Ali knocked out Sonny Liston. This image has gone to be plastered over walls, caps, t-shirts, and any other printable memorabilia. As far as sporting images go, this one really does take the championship belt.
It was a story that would make David and Goliath seem like a children’s fable when the 23-year-old Muhammad Ali took on the 34-year-old “Big Bear." In 1964, Ali and Liston had a rematch, and despite a controversial ending, it went for a record 2:12 into the first round. In the iconic shot above, photographer Leifer is recorded to have said, “I was obviously in the right seat…but what matters is I didn’t miss.”