The sky over Oxford when Roger Bannister broke four minutes

On the evening of 6 May 1954, Roger Bannister ran a mile in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds at the Iffley Road track in Oxford. He was the first person to run a mile in under four minutes.

Bannister was a 25-year-old medical student. He ran for the Amateur Athletic Association in a meeting against Oxford University, with his friends Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway setting the pace.

Sky chart of the night sky above Oxford, England at 18:00 on 6 May 1954
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The sky above Oxford, England on 6 May 1954

The sun was above the horizon, so daylight hid the stars. The chart shows where they were. There was a waxing crescent Moon in the sky, 20% lit. It stood 58° above the horizon in the south-west, in the constellation Gemini.

The sun is above the horizon at this moment, so daylight hides the stars and the planets. The tables show where they are in the sky.

Local time
18:00
Time in UTC
6 May 1954 at 17:00 UTC
Sun
Daylight
Sun position
22° above the horizon
Moon phase
waxing crescent Moon
Moon lit
20%
Moon position
58° above the horizon in the south-west

What happened that evening

Strong wind blew across the track during the day, and Bannister almost decided not to try. The wind dropped shortly before the race, and he chose to run.

Brasher led the first two laps and Chataway the third. Bannister passed Chataway on the last lap and ran alone to the finish. When the announcer read out the time, the crowd heard 'three' and the rest was lost in the cheering.

Why people remember it

Many people had thought a four-minute mile might be beyond the human body. Six weeks later, John Landy of Australia ran faster still, and many athletes have broken four minutes since.

A star map of this evening makes a gift for a runner, a coach, or anyone who has reached a goal that once looked out of reach.

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