Dan O'Brien

Dan O'Brien, American decathlete and coach

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Born: July 18, 1966
Age in 2026: 60
Zodiac sign: Cancer
Birth year: 1966

About Dan O'Brien

Daniel Dion O'Brien (born July 18, 1966) is an American former decathlete and Olympic gold medalist. He won the Olympic title in 1996, three consecutive world championships (1991, 1993, 1995), and set the world record in 1992. == Early life == O'Brien was born in Portland, Oregon in 1966. He is of African American and Finnish heritage, and grew up as an adopted child in an Irish-American family in Klamath Falls. He attended Henley High School graduating in 1984. At the Oregon High School State Championships he led his team to a team runner-up finish with O'Brien scoring all points. He earned four individual gold medals winning the 110 meter high hurdles, 300 meter hurdles, long jump and 100 yard dash. He then attended the University of Idaho in Moscow, where he competed in track and field for the Vandals. After initially flunking out of the university and then incurring legal difficulties, O'Brien attended Spokane Falls Community College, a community college in Spokane, Washington in 1987-1988. He returned to the UI to compete for the Vandal track team, and complete his bachelor's degree.

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

Career and life highlights

After passing at the first four (lower) heights, O'Brien entered the competition at 15 ft 9 in (4.80 m), and failed to clear the bar on all three attempts.
O'Brien regrouped and set a world record of 8,891 points in early September in Talence, France.
He won the Olympic title in 1996, three consecutive world championships, and set the world record in 1992.

Dan O'Brien timeline

1996He won the Olympic title in 1996, three consecutive world championships (1991, 1993, 1995), and set the world record in 1992.
1996He won the Olympic title in 1996, three consecutive world championships, and set the world record in 1992.

The world when Dan O'Brien was born

Dan O'Brien was born in 1966. 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 1966

#1 song"The Ballad of the Green Berets" – SSgt Barry Sadler
Top movieA Man for All Seasons
Top TV showBonanza
Best-selling bookIn Cold Blood – Truman Capote

Headlines and milestones

Major sports momentEngland wins the FIFA World Cup at Wembley
Top headlineCultural Revolution begins in China
Technology milestoneStar Trek premieres, inspiring future technologists
Defining fadBatman TV show craze
Notable inventionElectronic fuel injection
World population3.41 billion

United States snapshot

U.S. leaderLyndon B. Johnson
Sports championBaltimore Orioles (World Series)
Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
U.S. population196.6M

1966 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Dan O'Brien's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure	1966	2026
Gas	$0.32	$3.45/gal
Average home	$14,200	$435,000
Average income	$9,400	$67,500
Minimum wage	$1.25	$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket	$1.09	$11.95
Postage stamp	$0.05	$0.73
Population	196.6M	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. 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.