Otis Davis

Otis Davis, American sprinter (died 2024)

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Born: July 12, 1932
Died: September 14, 2024
Zodiac sign: Cancer
Birth year: 1932

About Otis Davis

Otis Crandall Davis was an American athlete, winner of two gold medals for record-breaking performances in the 400 m and 4 × 400 m relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He set a new world record of 44.9 seconds in the 400 m and became the first person to break the 45-second barrier. Otis Crandall Davis (July 12, 1932 – September 14, 2024) was an American athlete, winner of two gold medals for record-breaking performances in the 400 m and 4 × 400 m relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Among Davis's first attempts, he jumped 6'0". According to Davis, Bowerman made the first pair of Nike shoes for him, contradicting the claim that they were made for Phil Knight: "I told Tom Brokaw that I was the first.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Otis Davis was born

Otis Davis was born in 1932. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1932

#1 song"Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?"
Top movieGrand Hotel
Best-selling bookBrave New World – Aldous Huxley

Headlines and milestones

Major sports momentBabe Ruth's "called shot" in the World Series
Top headlineFDR elected in a landslide during the Great Depression
Technology milestoneAmelia Earhart becomes first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic
Defining fadMonopoly board game (unofficial versions)
Notable inventionPolaroid filters
World population2.14 billion

United States snapshot

U.S. leaderHerbert Hoover
Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
U.S. population124.8M

1932 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Otis Davis's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure	1932	2026
Gas	$0.18	$3.45/gal
Average home	$5,000	$435,000
Average income	$2,600	$67,500
Movie ticket	$0.20	$11.95
Postage stamp	$0.03	$0.73
Population	124.8M	341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, International Olympic Committee, Olympedia, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.