June 24 birthdays
1895 JACK DEMPSEY American boxer
Dempsey competed from 1914 until 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 until 1926. Dempsey pioneered the live broadcast of sporting events in general, and boxing matches in particular.
1911 JUAN MANUEL FANGIO Argentine car racer
Fangio dominated the first decade of Formula One racing, winning the World Championship five times.
Fangio’s titles came at four different teams – Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-benz and Maserati. It is a feat still unmatched.
1947 MICK FLEETWOOD English musician
Fleetwood is best known as the drummer, co-founder, and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. Following his musical interests, Fleetwood moved to London at the age of 15. Success came after a move to the US in 1974 and a band line-up change.
1951 RAELENE BOYLE Australian athlete
Boyle represented Australia at three Olympic Games as a sprinter and collected three silver medals. She was named one of 100 National Living Treasures by the National Trust of Australia in 1998.
1958 VICTOR M. GERENA American fugitive
Gerena is an American fugitive wanted by the FBI for the 1983 White Eagle armed robbery while a Wells Fargo employee, which netted $7m in cash. He was placed on the FBI’S Top Ten Most Wanted Fugutives list in 1984.
1972 ROBBIE MCEWEN Australian cyclist
Mcewen is a three-time winner of the Tour de France points classification and, at the peak of his career, was considered the world’s fastest sprinter. A former Australian BMX champion, he switched to road cycling in 1990 at age 18.
1979 CRAIG SHERGOLD English cancer sufferer
Shergold received an estimated 350 million greeting cards, earning him a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. The campaign for cards was started by friends and family after Shergold was diagnosed with cancer at the age of nine.