The man known round the world for smashing the 4 minute mile has died in England at the age of 88.

It was on May 6, 1954 at the Commonwealth Games (known then as the Empire Games) in Vancouver, that Sir Roger Bannister ran the mile in 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds.  At the time, he figured his record wouldn’t stand very long. He was right.  The record lasted just 46 days.  Since then it’s been shaved down considerably.  The current record is 3 minutes 43.13 seconds.

Sir Roger went on to become a distinguished neurologist and Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, before retiring in 1993.

Roger Bannister was 88.