1875 - Captain Mathew Webb makes the first observed and unassisted swim across the English Channel in 21 hours and 45 minutes

1903 - American chess writer and creator of the Elo rating system for two-player games such as chess, Arpad Elo, was born in Egyházaskesző, Hungary

1928 - English County cricketer Ken Suttle was born today. An opening batsman who scored 30,225 first-class runs, he set a record that still stands by playing in 423 consecutive County Championship matches for Sussex from 1954 to 1969

1941 - Italian soccer winger Mario Corso was born today. He was regarded as one of the greatest Italian players in his position, earning the nicknames “Mandrake” and “God’s Left Foot”. He earned 23 caps for Italy and 413 caps for Inter Milan

1945 - American World War II admiral and sport shooter who won five Olympic golds in 1920, Willis Augustus Lee, dies of a heart attack at 57 while being ferrying him out to his flagship USS Wyoming off the coast of Maine

1952 - Birth Duleep Mendis, the first Captain to lead Sri Lanka to victory in a Test. He was in charge when India were beaten at P. Sara Stadium in 1985-86. He scored 111 and 94 in Sri Lanka’s first Test at Lord’s in 1984 and he became first batsman to make identical scores of over 100 in the same Test: 105 and 105 in Chennai in 1982-83. At the 1996 World Cup triumph, he was managing Sri Lanka and played a pivotal role in the success. Currently, he is heading cricket in Oman

[caption id="attachment_157525" align="alignnone" width="356"] Happy birthday Duleep Mendis![/caption]

1968 - Arthur Ashe becomes first African American to win the US singles championship. He was the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon (1975), the US Open, and the Australian Open

[caption id="attachment_157526" align="alignnone" width="280"] On 25 August 1968, Arthur Ashe becomes first African American to win the US singles championship[/caption]

2004 - Greek athlete Fani Chalkia comes out of retirement to compete in her home Olympics in Athens; wins 400 m hurdles gold medal in 52.82 seconds

2004 - Gal Fridman becomes Israel’s first Olympic gold medallist when he wins the men’s Mistral One Design windsurfing event at the Athens Games

2019 - Ben Stokes wrote some history of his own, leading England to their biggest winning chase, with No. 11 for company, after they had been dismissed for 67 in the first innings. At the start of day four, England were 156/3 chasing 359. Stokes’ 86-run stand with Jonny Bairstow gave England hope, but Australia fought back, dismissing Nos. 7 to 10 for 41 runs, and they had one hand on the Ashes urn when last man Jack Leach walked out to bat. He hung around an hour for one crucial run while Stokes played in a smart and calculated assault. There were some nervous moments when England needed two to win. Lyon muffed an easy chance to run Leach out and Stokes survived an lbw appeal because Australia had used up their last review in the previous over. In the end, Stokes sealed it with a four and, for the first time in 131 years, a team won a Test after making under 70 in the first innings

[caption id="attachment_157527" align="alignnone" width="453"] In the end, Ben Stokes sealed it with a four and, for the first time in 131 years, a team won a Test after making under 70 in the first innings[/caption]

2019 - Later that day, in Antigua, Jasprit Bumrah took figures of five for seven to decimate West Indies for 100 and hand India their biggest away win in terms of runs. In the process, he became the first bowler from Asia to take five-wicket hauls in Australia, England, South Africa, and the West Indies, in only his 11th Test

2020 - England’s James Anderson becomes first fast bowler to reach 600 wickets in Test cricket; Pakistan batsman Azhar Ali caught at first slip on fifth day of their third Test at Southampton