Bannister clocked 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds over four laps on an Oxford track on May 6,1954, one of the defining sporting achievements of the 20th century.
“I thought it would be right for Britain to try to get this,” Bannister said. “There was a feeling of patriotism. Our new queen had been crowned the year before, Everest had been climbed in 1953. Although I tried in 1953, I broke the British record, but not the 4-minute mile, and so everything was ready in 1954.”
