This Day in History: 0000-07-20
1912 – “Jim Thorpe Wins Decathlon and Pentathlon at Olympics” “Jim Thorpe, a member of the Sac and Fox Nations, won the gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics. It was the first year that those events were held in the history of the modern Olympics. The accomplishments were just two in a career of great feats that ended in Thorpe being considered one of the most versatile athletes in American history. In addition to his track and field achievements, Thorpe succeeded at football, basketball and baseball.”
1959 - “Asian American Elected to U.S. Senate for First Time
” Hiram Fong, who was one of Hawaii's most prominent and successful businessmen at the time, was elected to represent Hawaii in the U.S. Senate. He became the first Asian American elected to the legislative body. He was also the first Asian American to seek the Republican party's nomination for resident of the United States. Fong was the first in a long line of Asian American elected officials to represent Hawaii, including Daniel Inouye, Daniel Akaka and Mazie Hirono.